In her article “Love Your Enemies” in Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy stated, “To mete out human justice to those who persecute and despitefully use one, is not leaving all retribution to God and returning blessing for cursing” (p. 11).
What is meant by leaving retribution to God? Does God punish us?
—A reader in Dallas, Texas
A: The article “Love Your Enemies” beautifully echoes Christ Jesus’ command in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5:43–48). However, loving those who have appeared to do us great wrong can seem challenging at times. We may be tempted to indulge in retaliation and may even feel justified in doing so, but such negative thinking is corrosive. We can never find healing by seeking revenge.
Ultimately, we may want to know that complete justice has been exercised, but that never happens by taking matters into our own hands. Healing comes only when we relinquish our material sense of things for spiritual reality. Divine Principle is responsible for the correction and government of all and does so without any assistance on our part.
