Posted by The WORD in other words (2021) by Sister Eden Panganiban, SSpS – Manila
Saturday 1st Week of Lent
There is no clearer message than this: “Love your enemy… Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 43-48).But who can do it? This summons is precisely for us, especially during this season of Lent. God loves the good and the bad. This love makes God perfect: His love is not conditioned by what we do or fail to do. He loves us, simply loves, constantly loves.
A quick recall of our life can remind us of an occasion when we felt angry but did not act on our anger. We can raise the bar of our love and understanding and so feel happy about the better part of ourselves. We may also recall an experience of disliking someone’s attitude that we also dislike in ourselves.
This capacity to love, to go beyond, to take the extra mile is within our identity. This is part of our being loved by God. He has poured into our hearts the capacity to love. The more we love, the greater our ability to love becomes, and the broader and more profound our communion with others.
And who is our enemy, we ask? Someone who hurts us, dislikes us, is different from us, who ignores us, and the like. And how do we love? It is wishing the wellbeing of, praying for, and forgiving the other. It is responding the non-violent way, recognizing our common humanity, our neediness, and vulnerability.
Today, the Lord is giving us the power to choose: to love with all our heart, and with all our soul (Deut26,16-19) readily, willingly, sincerely, constantly, and to the utmost of our abilities. We ask God for the grace to raise the bar of our loving today.
One comment