February 19, 2023
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart... Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.... So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’”
Jesus cited this passage from Leviticus when He taught us to love God above all things, with heart, soul, strength and mind, and indicated we do this when we care for our neighbor. In our world, where diversity can be a gift, we are plagued by war, hate, racism and discrimination in so many ways. How distant from the gospel mandate.
The Sermon on the Mount offers a special emphasis on love of neighbor - and enemy - making them the object of our prayer. May we place that person, country, group in our prayer and ask the Lord to help us live the Old Testament mandate and the great commandment of the New. May we not only strive to be perfect, but as Saint Luke tells us, ‘to be merciful as our Father is merciful.’ We can do it.
by Rev. William J. Reilly