{"id":6219,"date":"2017-02-18T12:57:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-18T20:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=6219"},"modified":"2017-02-18T11:58:12","modified_gmt":"2017-02-18T19:58:12","slug":"love-not-for-the-fainthearted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=6219","title":{"rendered":"Love, not for the Fainthearted"},"content":{"rendered":"
Love, not for the Fainthearted<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)<\/span><\/div>\n
February 19, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n
Matthew 5:38-48<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201clove your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, (Mat\u00a05:44)\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Love is not for the fainthearted. It is difficult to love, even those whom we supposed to love naturally and easily. At times, we feel regret to commit ourselves in marriage to someone who is moody, demanding and no longer attractive. Sometimes, we want to kick out our children who become too stubborn and rebellious. Sometimes, we also think that we enter the wrong Congregation or convent.<\/span><\/div>\n
However, Jesus wants us to go beyond, and even love our enemies. If we have hard time to love those who are closed to our hearts, how is it possible to love our enemies? How are we going to love those who bully us in the office or in the school? Is it viable to be kind to people who spread malicious gossips about us? Why should we be nice to those who have cheated us and even exploited us? Do we need to forgive those who have abused us and left us a permanent traumatic experience? <\/span><\/div>\n
Though it is extremely difficult to love, even almost impossible, Jesus is not out his mind when He asks us to love our enemies. He knows who we are, away better that we know ourselves. We were created in the Image of God. And St. John reminded us that God is love (see 1 John 4:8). Therefore, we were made in image of love. It is our identity to love, and only in loving we find our happiness. Yet, again how do we love people we hate?<\/span><\/div>\n
When Jesus commands to love, the Gospel deliberately chooses the word \u2018agape\u2019 for love. In Greek, Agape<\/i> is slightly different from the other kinds of love like phileo<\/i> and eros<\/i>. If phileo<\/i> and eros<\/i> are the love that is born of our natural affections for someone, agape basically comes from the power of the will, courage and freedom. It is easier to love someone when we like them, but we were not created only in the image of phileo and eros, we are the image of Agape. We have a built-in ability in us to love even despite the unpleasant and repugnant feelings. <\/span><\/div>\n
St. Thomas Aquinas put in quite succinctly that \u2018to love is to will the good in others\u2019. We do not have to feel good about the person, in order to do good to the person. In the Church\u2019s Tradition, we have various acts of charity and works of mercy, and all of these cannot be simply based on emotions. Many dioceses and parishes in the Philippines are actively helping the rehabilitation of drug-addicts in the communities. Nobody likes junkies, some even want them dead, but why do the Churchmen and women continue to help them, despite criticism? Because Jesus wants us to love them, and it is possible with our freedom to do good to them. <\/span><\/div>\n
True love is difficult and not for the fainthearted. It demands courage, strength, sacrifice. Yet, without love, what is the point of living? Danny Thomas, an actor and producer, said, \u201cAll of us are born for a reason, but all of us don\u2019t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It\u2019s what you do for others<\/i>.”<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP <\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Love, not for the Fainthearted \u00a0 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) February 19, 2017 Matthew 5:38-48 \u00a0 \u201clove your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, (Mat\u00a05:44)\u201d \u00a0 Love is not for the fainthearted. It is difficult to love, even those whom we supposed to love naturally and easily. At times, we feel regret to commit ourselves in marriage to someone who is moody, demanding and no longer attractive. Sometimes, we want to kick out our children…<\/p>\n

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