Last Sunday we had some difficult teachings which challenged both us and the Early Christians to have a righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf Mtt 5: 20). Both of these groups were proverbial for observing the letter of the law. Today we are challenged again: "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" (Mtt 5: 46) This new and greater standard of love is required of us individually and as Church. We are all called to go outside of our "comfort zone" when it comes to interacting with others even when they are indifferent or even hostile to us. How can we do this? The answer lies in our knowledge that God has loved us first and we have received so much from Him: "You received without payment; give without payment" (Mtt 10: 8) and "Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us." (1 Jn 4: 12)
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