The Power of Christian Love in Action

02-23-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

Dear Parishioners,

Today we celebrate the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We have the continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus said to His disciples, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you... Give to everyone who asks of you... Lend to others without expecting to get anything back... Do not judge or condemn the ungrateful and wicked but show mercy to them and forgive them."

I believe Jesus' instructions in today's Gospel are linked together by one main theme: the power of Christian love. What is love? Just like fear, anger, sadness, and joy, love is one of the most profound and complex emotions that we, human beings, experience. Love can be experienced in many different ways and it can range from respect, warmth, kindness, compassion, affection, to infatuation and pleasure.

Jesus expected and demanded that His disciples express selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love because this was the kind of love that Jesus Himself perfectly exemplified in His life and death. He is the prime example of selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. Throughout His life, He reached out in infinite love and with great compassion to all human beings.

Jesus voluntarily laid down His life on the cross so that the whole of humanity could have life. He even made His enemies and those who put Him to death be at peace by praying that God might forgive them for their ignorance. Thus, through teaching, praying, and leading, Jesus showed that loving enemies was reasonable and not only was not impossible but also really the only thing to do.

The golden rule is in many ways a universal rule, also found in other religious traditions, but in each of these traditions, it is framed negatively and in a limiting way. In Christ, this teaching goes much further. It is expressed in a wonderfully positive light and not merely refraining from doing what you would not want to be done to you, but also doing the good things for others that you would want people to do for you.

Fr. Albert