Gospel in Art: Do good to those who hate you

Saint Sebastian by Andrea Mantegna, 1478 -1480 © Louvre Museum, Paris.

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 11 September 2025
Luke 6:27-38

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you; and from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

'If you love those who love you, what benefit 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 benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

'Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.'

Reflection on the painting

Just like yesterday's Gospel reading, today's Gospel comes from the Sermon on the Mount, and it contains some of the most demanding words Jesus ever spoke. At its centre is the command to love our enemies and to give freely to those who cannot repay us, and who may not even deserve our kindness. In Jesus' time, generosity usually came with strings attached. To give a gift was to create a bond of obligation; an expectation that something would be returned. In truth, our own culture is not so different. We too can find it difficult to give without secretly hoping for some recognition, gratitude, or benefit in return.

Jesus overturns this way of thinking. He asks us to give and love with no trace of self-interest, simply because that is how God loves. God shows kindness to the undeserving as well as the grateful, to those who oppose Him as well as to those who honour Him. His love is not calculated, not conditional, but always overflowing. When Jesus calls us to love in the same way, He is calling us to reflect the very heart of God. The world may dismiss this kind of giving as foolishness, but in God's economy, it is precisely this selfless love that fills us, and in giving all, we discover we lose nothing, in fact we only gain.

Self-giving at its fullest often becomes self-sacrifice, and we see this embodied most powerfully in the lives of the saints. They poured themselves out without counting the cost. Whether in hidden service, tireless prayer, or even giving their lives in martyrdom, they just gave it their all. This is the radical self-giving love Jesus speaks of in the Gospel, a love that mirrors His own sacrifice on the Cross. So for today's artwork we are looking at Andrea Mantegna's Saint Sebastian in the Louvre. It is one of several versions he painted of the early Christian martyr. Mantegna presents Sebastian tied to a classical column framed by crumbling ruins, his body pierced with arrows, his face lifted heavenward in steadfast prayer. The low viewpoint emphasises his strength and presence, making him appear almost monumental: an athlete of God, standing firm. At his feet, two archers glance casually away, absorbed in worldly concerns, providing a stark contrast to the saint's unshakable devotion.

Sebastian himself was a Roman soldier of the 3rd century who secretly encouraged imprisoned Christians and brought many converts to the faith. Discovered and condemned, he was tied to a post and shot with arrows, surviving the ordeal only to face martyrdom later. The arrows became his enduring symbol. The meticulous ruins, fig tree, and careful rendering of the human body reveal Mantegna's fascination with antiquity and Renaissance realism, but also suggest that earthly glories decay (the ruins of the buildings however strong they were built) while the strength of faith endures in the graceful figure of Sebastian.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-6-27-38-2025-2/