Revolution of Love.com
Love Your Neighbor
by Brian
Blessed Gennaro Maria Sarnelli, a companion of Alphonsus Ligoui and fellow Redemptorist once wrote, "To figure out how much we love God, the measure is to weigh how much we love our neighbor." He goes on to write, "He who heroically loves his neighbor will heroically love God. He who loves his neighbor half heartedly and feebly will half-heartedly and feebly love God." Another saint, Catherine of Genoa said almost same thing when she wrote, "If you wish to see how much a person loves God, see how much he loves his neighbor."
Both statements can be directly traced back to the first epistle of St. John. The beloved disciple wrote, "If anyone says 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 Jn. 4:20) This beautiful passage sums up the spiritual principle that makes the connection between loving God and loving one's neighbor. No one can claim to love God while their hearts are full of hatred and bitterness. It just doesn't work. Sound harsh? It's the Gospel truth plain and simple!
In the Gospel of John, chapter 13, St. John records Jesus as saying, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…By this all men will know that you are my disciples."(13:34-35) Although these words of Jesus come straight from the mouth of God, they can be difficult to carry out. At times, it seems that loving those we don't know well can be much easier than loving those we deal with every day - family members, co-workers, and friends, etc. This is where the challenge lies.
Even though I am not a mystic nor do I make any claims to know the heart of God, it seems to me that God brings people into our lives to help us exercise the virtue of charity. It may sound crazy, but I believe it is true. It may be your in-laws, relatives, past or present friends that seem to be a very heavy cross to bear. Yet Christ calls us to pick up our crosses and follow Him. In other words, Christ calls us to love the people he has placed in our lives.
If Jesus had to carry His cross - loving those who jeered at Him, mistreated Him and eventually crucified Him - should our pilgrimage on earth be any different? Jesus did say that our pathway to Heaven was narrow and hard. In other words, if we want to follow Christ, loving our neighbor is part of the package. This may not always be easy, in fact it can be very difficult. Nevertheless, as disciples of Christ, we are called to imitate Him, which means to love others. How do we do this? By seeing Christ in those we interact with and or deal with on a daily basis.
With Our Lord's grace and help, we will be able to fulfill His command to "love one another."
God bless.