First Week of Lent

In the Office of Readings today, there is a selection by Saint Aelred of Reinoux, an Abbot of the 12th century, from his text, Mirror of Love.  Aelred discusses the true test of love being the love we have for one's enemies.  He refers to Jesus on the cross in light of Isaiah's description of a lamb being led to the slaughter.  The Gospels will relate to us that Jesus was compassionate and merciful until the very end.  He forgave those that were torturing him.  Aelred has this as a demonstration that real love, or divine love, is the ability to love those who harm us.

There was a blurb on a website which I noted the other day, which spoke about how we as human will probably never get along.  One of the examples it gave was that when we speak about understanding, we mistakenly believe that to understand is to agree.  So when we try to unveil another's point of view, to elicit an understanding, the party of the first part, will often strongly counter, "I cannot agree with that."  What is being asked is to examine another perspective, not to change one's mind.  More so we mistake loving another as being best buddies with the other.

Today's Gospel directs us to live in a righteous manner.  We believe that we are full of God's grace, and are blessed by the Lord.  Well, so is everyone else.  We are on holy ground as we interact and respond to each other.  God comes into our lives, as one like us, so that we can grow in holiness and salvation.  The love which Jesus so readily speaks about is not the weekday afternoon version, but the ability to go to the cross and to recognize our need of God's love as well as a communion with each other.

Jesus does not just wander around with us to do nice things, but to draw us out of ongoing habits of hate and animosity.  The more we can recognize the sacredness of brothers and sisters, the more we will be able to work for justice and peace.  The more we reconcile the less we will allow brokenness to rule our thoughts and actions.  We are to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy.