A parish in Florida recently announced that they would pray for the soul of Osama Bin Laden in an upcoming mass. My first instinct was to approve the gesture as a realization of Christ’s exhortations:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Mt. 5:43-45)
But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. (Lk 6:27-36)
Forgive me for being tricked. I just figured since Osama Bin Laden was an enemy of the western world that we should pray for him as Christ mentions. But what I didn’t realize was that Osama is in that rare super-enemy category that cannot be shackled by the Gospel precepts. Though a canon lawyer could more accurately describe the characteristics of a super-enemy I am sure that contempt for the USA and the killing of thousands of innocents are among them. Adolf Hitler comes to mind, Sadam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and so on.
A super-enemy does not deserve prayers. There is no forgiveness for super-enemies. If they strike you on the cheek, take away your cloak or ask you for something then you may hunt them down and shoot them in the eyeball. God does not make his sun rise on them nor the rain pour down on them. Just look at all of the floods and droughts in Pakistan. For the super-enemy there is no ring, no fatted calf, no cloak, and no fiesta. And if you are able to hunt that cheek-striking, cloak-stealing S.O.B. down and pump some lead into his brain don’t worry too much over it. Though St. Paul says that love “does not rejoice in evil” (1Cor 13:6)… love does rejoice in the death of super evil-doers. It is like how the angels partied all night long when St. Michael pierced the devil in the eye with his sword and cast him into the sea of fire.
We, as Christians just have to celebrate and be glad because this super-enemy was alive is now dead, was hiding and has now been found! (Lk 15 32)
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