Matthew 5: 43-48
Usually when I read this particular gospel, I focus on the word “enemies.” Love those who persecute us, who want to harm us, who we see as our enemies? Seriously? There are limits to what I can forgive as I ponder the hatred, mean-spiritedness, cruelty and indifference at work in the world and in my own life.
This time as I read, I tried to move my attention from “enemies” to “love,” because when Jesus expresses and discusses love, he embodies and shares what God is. Each one of us, every single part of creation, are expressions of that Divine outpouring of love, for no other reason than God loved us into being because God’s love is a relational love.
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| How can I profess a love of the Divine if I love others with conditions? |
When Jesus speaks of love, he is inviting us to reciprocate and share that which has been unconditionally, generously, and often undeservedly extended to us. How can I profess a love of the Divine if I love others with conditions? How can I engage in a loving relationship with God if I am indifferent to the circumstances and brokenness of others? How can I claim to be a person of faith if I fall short of sharing love with those whose political leanings, morals, or ethics, I do not agree? How am I a person of compassion and kindness if I turn my back on those who are unkind, or indifferent towards me?
We are ALL loved regardless of who we are, our words, attitudes or our behavior. Period. When I refuse to forgive, reconcile or heal, I do the opposite of what it means to be in relationship. By ignoring, ostracizing or rejecting others from my community rather than welcoming and forgiving them, I break the bonds of love. I need to find small ways to begin to be more patient, to understand and include rather than shun or exclude my “enemies.” Am I able to realign my focus on love?
Alexandria M. Egler, PhD
Executive Director of Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue
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