Love must always be inclusive.

Jesus was never afraid to go against the norms of society when injustices were present. In today’s gospel, He speaks very frankly to those with Him in the synagogue. He tells them that they are not the only ones who are deserving of God’s graces. This shocked and angered His audience. They did not want to hear that others were also special in the eyes of God.

We, too, can get angry when something good happens to someone we feel is undeserving. But this is a selfish attitude. Jesus teaches us that we must love one another. This means everyone, not just those who are like us, share our values, or belong to our “inner circle” of friends. It means everyone. That includes those who are different from us, those who are poor, those who are seeking asylum, those who disagree with us, those who hurt us, those with addictions, those with alternative lifestyles, those who anger us… Are we getting the picture here?

Real love, the love of commitment and sacrifice, must always be inclusive. The foundation of this love is giving, not taking. It builds bridges, not walls. Real love is doing the right thing even if we are maligned or rejected because of it. It is following Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us out of love.

Who Needs A Drink Of Your Love TODAY?