"It is no small thing to turn the other cheek..."

A response by Tim Kelleher to some recent essays about Just War Theory:

I am...troubled by Christians who can ascertain divine warrant for say, capital punishment (an issue that, aside from his own death by such means, Jesus addressed at best obliquely), yet find ambiguity in such daunting Gospel moments as “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” ....

.... While it is no small feat to turn the other cheek, it is another thing when the cheek being struck is not one’s own but that of a loved one—or an innocent stranger. I like to imagine I could rise to the challenge of Gandhi and King’s model with respect to my own hide. I am decidedly less sure when met with hypotheticals, like whether my killing a dictator would spare millions suffering and death. ....

One Eternal Day: Aquinas and just war

Just War, In Theory and Practice » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog