September 11: Love / Amor

When Jesus says “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6, 27-38), He is offering us the “how” of Christian life. When He says “Do to others as you would have them do to you” in the same passage, He is showing us the way to defuse the explosive devices that rest in the heart of every human being.

On the anniversary of 9-11, we remember that, left to itself, without any curb, violence would blow up the world. To hear Jesus talk about love is not lean toward some starry-eyed idealism – He is being very realistic and practical. His point is that, without love, human life would be a nightmare. In fact, the love that Jesus He speaks of and encourages us to practice has the power to break the cycle of violence. It introduces a new element into our world that makes everything virtuous possible.

***

El amor Evangélico no se basa en simpatías, solamente. Un amor Evangélico, un amor de fe, no pone condiciones ni marca fronteras. Según Jesus mismo (Lucas 6, 27-38), quien ama da más de lo que le piden, y ama también a los “no-dignos-de-amor,” incluso a los enemigos. 

El verdadero amor no juzga ni condena, sino que está siempre listo para mostrar compasión y perdón. Cuando tenemos en cuenta todas estas implicaciones, seguramente debemos confesar con vergüenza que estamos muy lejos de lo que nos propone nuestro Señor. ¿En qué medida somos nosotros, en este mundo, con nuestra vida y conducta, el signo viviente del amor mismo de Dios?