Love the Unlovable

In today’s Gospel, Mt 5: 43-48, Jesus  says to us:  You  have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun to rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

“Love your enemies.”   We might tell ourselves to love that which we despise, first in ourselves, and then in others.  Are we having trouble loving our enemies? Is it, I wonder, because we are rejecting ourselves? Perhaps, we need to stop the self-rejection.  Is there something in ourselves that we disdain?  If so,  do we need to, first,  become a friend to the distained parts of ourselves, sob over those parts, if we must; grieve that which we dislike about ourselves . Grieving brings healing and opens the compassionate side of ourselves.  The effect is the same as hugging a hurting child.  That child’s energy is restored, a confidence rebuilt, and he/she finds a way to make choices that rebuild his/her sense of well-being. 

We might want to listen to the Lord say to us: “Seek, insert your name, to love the unlovable in yourself and in others, in this day’s happenings! Seek to love that which appears repulsive to you and notice its transformation into that which is palatable. I did it on Calvary, insert your name,  and Easter followed! I rose to new life and took you with me.