Put selfless love at the center of everything you do

Put selfless love at the center of everything you do
Seventh Sunday of the year
Lev 19: 1-2, 17-18; 1 Cor 3: 16-23; Mt 5: 38-48 (year A)

“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. You don't have to put up with the hatred for your brother in your heart. You must not exact revenge, nor must you have a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. "

Moses called the people of God as holy, for the Lord their God was holy. Our limited imaginations can barely understand the holiness of God, much less the way we could share that holiness.

As the transition unfolds, we begin to understand that such holiness goes beyond ritual and external piety. It manifests itself in a purity of heart rooted in selfless love. It is, or should be, at the center of all our relationships, large or small. Only in this way are our lives formed in the likeness of a God whose holiness is described as compassion and love. “The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does he repay us according to our faults. "

Such was the holiness proposed by Jesus to his disciples in a seemingly impossible series of requests: “You have learned as it has been said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you this: do not offer resistance to the wicked. If someone hits you on the right cheek, offer them the other too. Love your enemies, this way you will be your father's son in heaven. If you only love those who love you, what right do you have to claim some credit? "

Our resistance to a love that claims nothing for itself, and is willing to suffer rejection and misunderstanding from others, betrays the persistent self-interest of our fallen humanity. This personal interest is redeemed only by the love that has given itself completely on the Cross. It brings us to the love exalted in Paul's letter to the Corinthians: “Love is always patient and kind; he is never jealous; love is never boastful or presumptuous. It is never rude or selfish. He is not offended and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in the sins of others. He is always ready to apologize, to trust, to hope and to put up with whatever happens. Love does not end. "

Such was the perfect love of the crucified Christ and the revelation of the Father's perfect holiness. It is only in the grace of that same Lord that we can strive to become perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect.