Living in Love

All through the Gospels we see Jesus interacting with people from all walks of life, and loving them. The folks of that time who made up the “proper society” were the Pharisees and some of Jesus’ strongest words of rebuke were for them. The people who were on the outskirts of society, Jesus seems to have sought out. He dined at the homes of a tax collector and a leper. He asked a woman of the hated Samaritans for a drink of water!
         Jesus reaching out to those who were marginalized, those who did not fit into their society, or were just not on the normal path, gives us hope. If He wanted to dine with Simon the Leper, surely He would lunch with us! It also challenges us. If we are to “live in love as Christ loved us” we must daily watch our interactions with others. Jesus treated others with compassion and patience and love and calls us to do likewise. It is easy to overlook the disabled person at the store in our rush to get home. But that person may need our help to reach or carry an item. It may seem easier for us to ignore the “complainer” at work, but we are called to interact with patience and compassion, not to ignore. By living our lives in Christian love, every day and everywhere, we preach the Gospel the most effectively.