We continue to be inspired and challenged by the teaching of Jesus reproduced in the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s theme is LOVE –loving without borders. Jesus challenges us to love the way God does, for “He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good.” That is: he challenges us to love not just those who love us, but every human being, including those who reject and hate us. This challenge is not for the faint-hearted and the self-centered. It is for people who want to build a better world where violence, aggression- ness, exploitation, and retaliation have no place. It is a world where people are prepared to suffer offenses and not to offend or get even; where people are willing to walk the extra mile to please the other. It has to be noted that the most destructive forces in the world are not nuclear weapons, earthquakes, and other death-sowing disasters. The most destructive force is hatred. This dreadful power disfigures and shatters the heart of man and society. Hatred is man’s greatest enemy, the anti-life force par excellence. Only one force can oppose and overcome hatred and make up for its deadly effects: LOVE. Love is life. It has the power to renew the heart of man, to renew the face of the earth. Love is God’s “invention.” It is God’s very life, for “God is Love”. Man and his world were brought into existence by Love. Love is what maintains them and guides them to their final “destination” –heaven. Let our participation in the Eucharist celebration today be an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the act of love and loving as Jesus taught us.
HOLY SPIRIT: INSPIRE US
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