[quiet piano, distant bell] My brothers and sisters… Pain has a strange habit. When it cannot heal, it looks for somewhere to go. Someone hurts us. Someone betrays us. Someone leaves a wound behind. And before long, we are not only angry at what happened. We begin hating the person who caused it. Sometimes we go further. One person wounds us, so we distrust everyone like them. One believer fails us, so we become angry with God. One mistake haunts us, so we turn our hatred inward. That is misplaced hate. [pause] Christ never asked us to pretend evil is good. Sin matters. Agency matters. Consequences matter. Cruelty should be opposed. Abuse should be stopped. Deception should be exposed. But be careful where you aim your heart. The Savior taught us to love our enemies. That does not mean returning to danger. You may forgive someone and still close the door. You may love someone and still say, "No more." Boundaries are not hatred. Justice is not hatred. But enjoying another person's pain is something else. [soft bell] Hatred is dangerous because it changes the one carrying it. Eventually, we stop asking, "What is right?" And begin asking, "What will hurt them?" That is when anger becomes darkness. [pause] Perhaps the person you hate most is yourself. You remember your failures. Your sins. The things you wish you could undo. And you begin believing that suffering enough will somehow repay God. But self-hatred is not repentance. Christ already paid what you could not. Repentance means turning. Learning. Changing. Repairing what can be repaired. Then walking toward God again. [pause] And perhaps you are angry with God. Remember this: Not every wound came from His hand. Human beings have agency. And agency means we are capable of choosing terribly. God allowing a choice does not mean He approved of it. [gentle strings] So ask yourself: What am I truly angry at? The person? The betrayal? The injustice? The fear? The loneliness? Sometimes the face of an enemy is only covering an older wound. Bring that wound to Christ. Not the polished version. The real one. The angry one. The part that still says, "It was not fair." He already knows. [pause] Ask Him to teach you how to oppose evil without becoming hateful. To seek justice without craving revenge. To forgive without surrendering wisdom. To see a sinner without pretending the sin does not matter. My brothers and sisters… hate the lie. Hate cruelty. Hate what darkness does to the children of God. But do not confuse the prisoner with the prison. And do not let another person's darkness extinguish your own light. [soft bell] Christ conquered evil without becoming evil. He answered hatred with truth. With mercy. With sacrifice. With love. [pause] The dawn has no need to hate the night. It simply arrives. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. [piano fades]
