Love One Another

"This I command you, to love one another." John 15:17

This is from today's Gospel reading. It is so powerful. We discussed it during our last book club meeting Thursday night and I have been thinking about it ever since. We resolved to try to think of everyone in this way. God's greatest Commandment.

For me these words of Jesus are so deep and can mean so much, yet they can also be so very simple. Love everyone. Sounds simple right? But loving everyone means loving even those who bug us. It means loving everyone who comes in contact with us. It means loving even people who don't come in contact with us, like Oprah, Tom Hanks or President Obama. It means loving the murderers and the child molesters. How can we love people like that? We can do it. God loves them. We can love them by not hating them. We can love them by praying for them.

The opposite of hate is love.

The opposite of pride is humility.

When I think of loving everyone with the love of God, I always think of Blessed Mother Teresa. She makes it more real for me, more tangible. When she was alive and I guess I still do this, I often think "what would Mother Teresa do? What would she think, what would she say?" This often helps me to do the right thing, not always. I still struggle with certain people in my life and am not perfect in all my relationships. Today is a reminder to work on especially those relationships, even if only to pray for them. Lord, help me to humble myself and to love everyone the way You want me to.

"Spread love everywhere you go:

First of all in your own house.

Give love to your children, To your wife or husband,

to a next door neighbor....

Let no one come to you without leaving better or happier.

Be a living expression of God's kindness;

Kindness in your face,

Kindness in your eyes,

Kindness in your smile

And kindness in your warm greeting."

Mother Teresa