You shall love

You shall LOVE

Jesus certainly caught the Pharisees by surprise.

Instead of answering their question with a lengthy dissertation on the Law and a detailed explanation of the greatest commandment, he kept it simple.   He did not focus on the “don’ts”—don’t worship idols, don’t work on the Sabbath, don’t kill or steal or lie.   Instead, Jesus drew out the heart of the Law.   DO LOVE!

What a marvelous way for each of us to make decisions!   “Will this decision help me to love God more?   Am I loving this other person in the way I would want to be loved?”   Love takes things to a new and higher level.   It is not just a matter of avoiding sin.   It is not just a matter of fulfilling the letter of the Law.   It is a matter of infusing everything we do with the goal of loving as Jesus loves.

Ruth is an outstanding example of embracing the call to love.   We might forget that her sister-in-law, Orpah, did not do anything wrong when she left Naomi to return to the Moabites.   Naomi had not pressed Orpah to stay with her, and Orpah certainly would have fared better with her own people and her own family.   In other words, Orpah was not sinning.   Ruth, however, went beyond the demands of the Law.   She looked at Naomi with compassion and empathy and acted out of loyalty.

Ruth is not the only example either.   Remember Mary choosing “the better part” over Martha’s bustling preparations or Saint Paul holding up love as the “more excellent way” over and above spiritual gifts  or Jesus’ willingness to lay down his life for all of us.

Look over what you have planned for today, where you will go and whom you will meet.   Look for ways that you can live out the law of love.   Be alert to opportunities to go beyond choosing not to sin.   When you meet a friend who has been hurt, do not just avoid gossip, help them seek reconciliation.   If a co-worker annoys you, do not just hold your tongue. try to do an extra kindness for them.   Each and every time you act in love, you are building the kingdom of God.

-word among us