"Love one another"

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It's bound to happen-- you meet someone who's annoying, mean, dislikable, or difficult. Or even if they are nice, other people all have traits that we wish we could just magically disappear. It's just part of life. Even so, this can make us weary and want to stop treating them with compassion.

Yet, Christ tells us:

  "12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

 ~ John 15:12 

This means that we must do our best to love these people as our brothers and sisters in Christ. But how can we? It seems like it's so impossible!

St. Therese of Liseux must have felt the same way when she dealt with a particular nun who lived at the Carmel with her. The nun was always so annoying that St. Therese must have wanted to shout at her and correct her for her wrongs. But she didn't. Instead, Therese tried to treat the nun as her favorite and speak to her sweetly. And one day, that particularly annoying sister stopped Therese and asked her why she treated her so kindly!

Similarly, we should try to treat those around us with mercy, no matter who they are. How can we do this? By remembering that they are people, relying on the grace of God, and taking it a day at a time. This might mean including them in our prayers, performing small acts of kindness for them, or thinking before we speak. But no matter what, we must try to see the suffering Jesus in every person we come across.

God needs you to be His witness and to be a vessel of His mercy to others. So, let us all try to respond by loving those around us today.









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