[Jesus says,] "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into you lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:35-38)
These are among the most difficult teachings for me to accept. Who wants to have anything to do with enemies, much less to pray for them, to do good to them, or to lend to them? Who wants to suspend judgment? Who wants to let constructive criticism go unstated? Who is eager to forgive and to give?
Yet, as Jesus says, it is true that God is "kind to the ungrateful and wicked." (Luke 6:35b) If my heart is bound together with the heart of God, then I must grow in God's mercy, not only for me, but also for everyone else.
Holy Spirit, help us.
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