As yourself

I noticed that with time it there has been a bit of dust settling on the most important aspect of my life: Being love, being what God wants me to be. So in these days I want to reflect on the “Art of loving” as Chiara explains it. I found it a real conversion, a turning back to my roots, because being love is the only way that makes sense in my life.

Every word of God contains both the minimum and the maximum that he can ask of you, so when you read, “love you neighbour as yourself”(Mt 19:19) you have the law of fraternal love at its highest degree.

Your neighbour is another you, and you must love him or her bearing that in mind.

When neighbour cry, you must cry, and whey laugh, laugh with them. If they lack knowledge be ignorant with them. If they lost a parent make their suffering your own.

You and they are members of Christ and if one or the other is suffering, it is the same for you.

What has value for you is God, who is both their Father and yours.

Do not seek to be excused from loving. Your neighbours are those who pass next to you, be they rich or poor, beautiful or not, holy or sinful, a fellow citizen or a foreigner, a priest or a layperson, whoever. Try to love whoever appears to you in the present moment of your life. You will discover within yourself an energy and strength you did not now you had. It will add flavour to your life, and you will find answers to your thousand questions why.

(Chiara Lubich, Essential Writings, New City, London, p 80)