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Chapter 24ViaRegia.1.24

De non reddendo malum pro malo

The Royal Command of Forgiveness

The king is exhorted to imitate God by forgiving those who sin against him, rather than seeking vengeance.

Love your neighbor as yourself, with a pure heart and a sincere mind, so that even if he has sinned against you, you forgive him and don't return evil for evil; as it is written: Do not say, "I will repay evil"; wait for the Lord, and he will free you.✦✦✦ So you too: from your whole heart forgive within yourself the one who sins against you, and wait for God, so that you may be freed from your own sin; and don't take vengeance on the person who has wronged you.✦1 Because it is written: Whoever wants to be avenged will find vengeance from the Lord, and carefully keeping his sins, he will keep them. Leave alone your neighbor who is harming you; and then, when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.2 But since you are a king and the son of the highest King, imitate your good Father, God, and leave your neighbor's sins alone, so that the ones you yourself have committed may also be forgiven by the Lord.

The Golden Rule in Practice

The author grounds the prohibition of vengeance in the Golden Rule, citing its presence in both Testaments.

You do for your neighbor what you also want your God to do for you: don't seek vengeance against your neighbor, or your offenses will be demanded of you when the Lord takes vengeance.3 Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.✦ What you don't want God to do to you, you as a human being must not do to another human being. In both Testaments it is written: Do not do to another what you do not want done to you.

Living the Law of Love

The application of the Golden Rule requires active humility, the avoidance of vice, and the performance of works of mercy.

If you're careful not to do to others what you'd never want them to do to you, you're naturally careful not to be puffed up with pride or look down on your neighbor; you're careful not to be stirred by ambition or provoke your brother to anger; and you're careful not to tear him apart with the bite of envy. But when you set your mind on doing for others what you want them to do for you, you'll undoubtedly weigh how to repay bad with good and good with better, show gentleness to the insolent, and display kind favor to the humble. You'll guide those who go astray toward the right path, call the quarrelsome back to peace, supply the needy with what they require, lift the afflicted with a word of consolation, and faithfully give your neighbors everything you can.4

Read the original Latin

Dilige proximum sicut teipsum, puro animo, mente sincera: ita ut si etiam in te peccaverit, dimittas, et non reddas malum pro malo; sicut scriptum est: Ne dicas: Reddam malum; exspecta Dominum, et liberabit te. Ergo et tu ex toto corde in te dimitte peccanti, et exspecta Deum, ut a proprio libereris peccato; et noli vindicari in homine qui in te deliquerit. Quia scriptum est: Qui vindicari vult, a Domino inveniet vindictam; et peccata illius servans servabit: relinque proximo tuo nocenti te; et tunc deprecanti tibi peccata solventur. Tu vero cum sis rex, et summi regis filius, Patrem tuum bonum imitare Deum, et proximo relinque peccata, ut et tua dimittantur a Domino commissa. Fac tu proximo tuo quod et vis ut faciat tibi Deus tuus: noli quaerere de proximo vindictam, ne expetantur a te, Domino vindicante, delicta. Noli vinci a malo, sed vince in bono malum. Quod non vis ut tibi faciat Deus, noli tu homo facere homini. In utroque Testamento scriptum reperitur: Quod tibi non vis fieri, alteri ne facias.

Si ergo cavet quisquam alteri facere quod nequaquam vult ab altero perpeti, cavet utique ne superbia elatus proximum despiciat; cavet ne ambitione commotus fratrem ad iracundiam provocet, cavet ne invidiae morsu dilaniet. Cum quisque vero cogitat ea alteri facere quae sibi ab altero vult fieri, sine dubio pensat ut malis bona, et bonis meliora retribuat, procacibus mansuetudinem ostendat, humilibus gratiam benignitatis demonstret; errantibus viam rectitudinis demonstrat, discordes ad pacem revocat, necessaria indigentibus ministrat, afflictos verbo consolationis sublevat, et cuncta quae valet proximis fideliter subministrat.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Lev.19.18 — You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
  2. ↩Prov.20.22 — Do not say, 'I will pay back evil.' Wait for the LORD, and he will save you.
  3. ↩Rom.12.17;1Thess.5.15;1Pet.3.9 — Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. 1Thess.5.15 — See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always pursue what is good, both toward one another and toward all. 1Pet.3.9 — Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult; but on the contrary, bless, because for this you were called, so that you may inherit a blessing.
  4. ↩Rom.12.19;Deut.32.35 — Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.' Deut.32.35 — Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slips; for the day of their calamity is near, and what is appointed for them hastens.
  5. ↩Rom.12.21 — Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩"ex toto corde in te dimitte peccanti": rendered as wholehearted interior forgiveness (in te = within yourself); not "forgive the one who sins in you."
  2. 2 ↩"peccata illius servans servabit": Hebraizing intensive (servans servabit); subject taken as the Lord retaining the avenger's sins, not the human party stockpiling grievances.
  3. 3 ↩"ne expetantur a te, Domino vindicante, delicta": absolute construction rendered as temporal/circumstantial "when the Lord takes vengeance," with delicta as subject of expetantur.
  4. 4 ↩gratiam benignitatis rendered as 'kind favor' (human kindness shown), not divine grace; the lexeme gratia here names gracious goodwill toward the humble, not the theological gift.

Via Regia (The Royal Road) companion

Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat

Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.

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