Ordinary Time

Pause

May I live this day

Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.

John O’Donohue in To Bless the Space Between Us (2008)

Listen

“If you love those who love you, why should you be commended? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, why should you be commended? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, why should you be commended? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be paid back in full. Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend expecting nothing in return. If you do, you will have a great reward. You will be acting the way children of the Most High act, for he is kind to ungrateful and wicked people. Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.”

Luke 6:32-36

Think

Jesus is always challenging us to think beyond the easy answer. It is easy to love those who are loveable.

My elderly dog, Ember, was easy to love. Over the years, we had learned how to live and thrive together. Then our family decided to get a puppy. Sure, puppies seem easy to love, but they don’t understand some basics of living with humans yet – like you shouldn’t chew up objects that aren’t food or go potty in the house, and that human skin is not for gnawing on… I think you get the idea. Sprinkles the Puppy’s behavior has not been easy to love. But Sprinkles deserves love and compassion (and puppy obedience school) just as easy-to-love Ember did.

People can be the same way. Some are easy to love and others require us to dig deeper in ourselves to achieve it. We have to learn how to express love in a way that is given and received in a healthy way for each of the persons involved, ourselves included.

Sarah Karber

Pray

Gracious God, help me to find ways that are healthy to love those who challenge my ability to love.

Amen.

Go

Everyone is worthy of love.

I am worthy of love.