To love is so simple and yet so difficult

Have you ever noticed that the life of a disciple is so simple, you just have to obey God and His Word… God chose it to be simple so that it is accessible to all, it is not a question of intelligence, ability or whatever, it's just a matter of decision: to obey. And yet it is often so difficult, because it costs and involves radical changes in the way of life. And the command of Jesus above which was already in the Old Testament (cf. Leviticus 19:18) is certainly one of the most challenging and difficult that there is… However if Jesus gives us this command, it is because it is it is possible to experience it ...

To fully understand what this implies, it is important to define who our neighbor is… This is the question that was put to Jesus (cf. Luke 10:29) and the latter responds very well with the parable of the Good Samaritan ( cf. Luke 10: 30-37). Your neighbor is the person you have no reason to love and a Jewish rabbi once said that “the more illogical it is to love, the more I must love and this obligation is great”. Our neighbor is therefore also the person we seek to avoid at all costs, the one we do not consider… Take a moment to think about this, who is, who are these people? They are the ones we are called to love… Difficult, isn't it?

Especially when we understand that love is not an emotion, but a way of life and actions (cf. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7). Jesus even describes love as a total denial of oneself to the point of giving of oneself for one's friends - those one loves - (cf. John 15:13). Loving is a choice that is only possible when we root our lives in the first commandment, namely, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind (cf. Matthew 22:37 ). It is then that we no longer live for ourselves, but for Him… It is then that we can begin to love the other as ourselves. That is, to the extent that we know that Christ loves us to the point of having given himself for us (cf. Romans 5: 8). Our love becomes a reflection of His love.

Again, it's so simple and yet so difficult… If it starts with a decision, it will become an intentional way of life that will require knowing regularly (for me several times a day) to realign ourselves with our decision to L 'love and love our neighbor. As love is a way of living, what helps us to live it is to seize the opportunities that present themselves before us to be able to concretely manifest this love for the other. When we are around someone we have no reason to love, then let's take concrete action to show our love.

If obeying Christ is difficult, it is so good and produces an extraordinary result in the lives of those around us, but also in our ... The world is eagerly waiting for us to be revelators of His love, so 'let's not wait, let's take up the challenge by deciding to love our neighbor and take concrete action….

God has blessed you richly so that you bless abundantly ...

Luke