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| St. Francis could well be said to have had a Perfect Hatred of the World |
The preceding passage, taken from Psalm 138, may, perhaps, seem out of place in modern Christianity. In this age, the emphasis is placed on love, peace, and harmony, brotherhood among mankind. Admirable as these ideas may be, and as worthy of a Christian as they may be, they are are not the only facet of the true Christian soul. As the Psalmist says, perfect hatred also has a place in the Christian soul. What the Psalmist means by "perfect hatred" could use a bit of clarification. It would be well if we had a different word to use in this language, since "hatred" has decidedly negative connotation. In the contemporary lexicon, "hate" means something akin to "to wish evil". This is not, however, a proper sense of what the Psalmist was saying. Rather, the Psalmist means rejection, and condemnation. And truly this hatred, rather than being at odds with love, compliments and completes it.
What is the essence of love, but the ideal relationship between God and Man? And if man truly loves God, who is "essere", that is, being itself, will he not, with equal vehemence despise that which is not of God..i.e. evil, which is nothingness. Indeed, in this way, perfect love of God and perfect hatred are mutually inclusive. For if we truly love God, will we not hate the Absence of God, which is evil. And if we claim to truly love God, and yet we do not hate his absence (evil) are we not hypocrites? That is what is meant by "perfect hatred". Indeed perfect love is perfect hatred. For if we have a hatred of all that is opposed to God; sin, evil, vice, and the like, truly by hating them we are loving God. And likewise, if we love virtue, and the things of God, are we not by doing so hating sin and wickedness? It is of this that the Psalmist spoke, when he wrote those words: "I have hated them with a perfect hatred". This hatred is Love, they are but the two sides of the one coin.
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