The Christian tradition proclaims that life is to be lived peacefully and happily, in a spirit of thanksgiving. We hear the psalmist saying that God spreads a table for us in the middle of our enemies. We hear Jesus exhorting us to love our enemies.

Let us consider, at a very practical level, whether or not this is possible! All of us have people we disagree with; all of us have our clashes, our conflicts with others. We resort to cunning. Alliances are dissolved and formed. Plans for revenge are made. We strike out at people. We want to win. We all want to appear in a favorable light.

Those moments come when our better nature becomes distorted over a problem or an issue. We become disorganized. We are unhappy. No disorganized person who is carrying ill thoughts for another person can be put…