Pages

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Who do you find most difficult to love? Today, pray for that person and ask God for the grace to love him or her - Daily Reflections June 14,2016

AN INCLUSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE LOVE
 
Jesus is at it again with His new standards of the law, particularly regarding the love of enemies.
       In a sense, the old Jewish law probably had a point. For how does one really come to love his or her enemy? Even just the joining of the two words sounds absurd: “love of enemies.” One’s love will naturally and exclusively gravitate only to his or her “neighbors” or friends. Anyone outside one’s circle of friends, acquaintances, relatives and neighbors might as well be treated an “enemy” — simply understood in the Jewish mind as an outsider or a stranger, with no rights to one’s love and affection.
       But there lies the problem. If one merely follows his or her natural propensities or tendencies, then it’s probably OK. But we must keep in mind that we have a higher possibility available, thanks to God’s bountiful graces and blessings. Thanks to such grace, we can go yonder — to a higher level of love. This higher love is more encompassing (not selective), more inclusive (not for just a fortunate few selected ones), and without conditions (not for those who have special privileges and entitlements to wield).
       And that last point is the context of that often misunderstood last verse. It is not so much perfection that is being demanded of us, for only God is perfect, and we may not even approximate such an exclusive attribute of God. In the context of inclusive and comprehensive love, the challenge that Jesus poses to us is to imitate God in that kind of love.
       Let us not be content with a minimal type of love which barely measures up to the possibilities that God is opening to us. Let that love of His be ours as well. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB
 
REFLECTION QUESTION: Who do you find most difficult to love? Today, pray for that person and ask God for the grace to love him or her.
 
Enlarge my heart, O Lord, that I may be able to love like You do. Amen

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Interesting Blogs