Jesus said, "Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful."

"I said, son, for all I've told you, when you get right down to the reason for the world, who am I? There are secrets that we still have left to find, there have been mysteries from the beginning of time, there are answers we're not wise enough to see. He said, You looking for a clue: I love you free. I guess we're big and I guess we're small. If you think about it, man, you know we got it all, 'cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball. And I love you free, I love you freely. Here's a riddle for you: find the answer. There's a reason for the world, you and I."

If there is a central element of Jesus' doctrine, it would have to be love, and that which distinguishes his doctrine of love  from other religious sects, is love of everyone including those who do not like us. "Give to everyone," Jesus says, not only to those who love us, not only to those who do good to us, not only to those who would repay us, but to "enemies" as well. "Love your enemies and do good to them" is Jesus' directive. In terms of Five for Fighting's song "The Riddle," love of everyone even enemies is the reason for people to exist in our world.

We really do have it all on this bouncing ball that we call earth. We have used the minds that God has given us, and we have created wonderful things that we enjoy every day. Not only that, but we have the ability to develop further technology that will take us even further in the understanding of how things work. In fact, in our wonderful North America, we have opportunities that no one else on the face of the earth have right now or have had in the past.  We can literally be and do what we want. We can accomplish almost anything.
  
The guiding light in all of this is not the education that is necessary in order to accomplish things, or the drive and determination it takes to accomplish them, or the graces that enable us to be the people that we want, although those things are important. No, the guiding light in all of this is love, what Five for Fighting sings as the riddle for the world to understand: "I love you free; I love you freely." That's the answer, that's the reason for the world, for you, for me. Would that everyone of us would want to understand it a little more.    

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son calls us simply to love--everyone--no matter who they are, no matter what they do to us, no matter what they could do to us. It is such a difficult doctrine, and we may not be able to live it perfectly. Give us the grace to love everyone as best we can. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America