Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Luke 10:27)
Love of God without love of neighbour cannot exist. It is our most important duty to love each other for God said so: Thou shalt love..... It is God's will revealed both in Old and New Testament. If this command would be kept diligently we could only imagine idyllic happiness of earthly life, with no social problems. Duty of brotherly love is also command of justice, and Our Lord says: And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner (Luke 6:31) and : for this is the law and the Prophets (Matt 7:12). We certainly desire to be treated with charitable understanding by others, therefore all we need to do first is to adjust properly own own attitude. In this way we would become equally worthy before God and He wants us to love Him in our neighbours: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me (Matt 25:40). That is why beloved Apostle warns us: If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother ; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not? (1 John 4:20). No matter how diligently we would fulfill our religious duties, prayers, fasting, pilgrimages, it is all for nothing without charity: But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection (Col 3:14). Without charity: it profiteth me nothing (1 Cor 13:3). Our last Judgment depends on this virtue, and at this moment Lord Jesus would say to us: For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; Naked , and you covered me; sick and you visited me: I was in prison and you came to me (Mt 25:35,36). We need to apply rule of charity to everything otherwise: He that loveth not abideth in death (1John 3:14)
Picture today is by Adolphe William Bouguereau, "Charity"
Love of God without love of neighbour cannot exist. It is our most important duty to love each other for God said so: Thou shalt love..... It is God's will revealed both in Old and New Testament. If this command would be kept diligently we could only imagine idyllic happiness of earthly life, with no social problems. Duty of brotherly love is also command of justice, and Our Lord says: And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner (Luke 6:31) and : for this is the law and the Prophets (Matt 7:12). We certainly desire to be treated with charitable understanding by others, therefore all we need to do first is to adjust properly own own attitude. In this way we would become equally worthy before God and He wants us to love Him in our neighbours: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me (Matt 25:40). That is why beloved Apostle warns us: If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother ; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not? (1 John 4:20). No matter how diligently we would fulfill our religious duties, prayers, fasting, pilgrimages, it is all for nothing without charity: But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection (Col 3:14). Without charity: it profiteth me nothing (1 Cor 13:3). Our last Judgment depends on this virtue, and at this moment Lord Jesus would say to us: For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; Naked , and you covered me; sick and you visited me: I was in prison and you came to me (Mt 25:35,36). We need to apply rule of charity to everything otherwise: He that loveth not abideth in death (1John 3:14)
Picture today is by Adolphe William Bouguereau, "Charity"
Posts
