Col 3:12-17
Lk 6:27-38
It is quite amusing to see how relationships in life are like some kind of barter trade.
The good that we do to others is also what we expect from others.
It is the Golden Rule of all religions.
It is not just the religious Golden Rule, it is also the Basic Rule of life for humanity.
Yet for us who are Catholics and are disciples of Jesus, we must go beyond the Basic Rule and even surpass the Golden Rule.
The rule of life for us is nothing less than the Divine Rule.
What is the Divine Rule? It is found in today's gospel.
Jesus said to His disciples and that means us!
"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly."
And as Jesus goes on, if we are not squirming or frowning, then it's because we are not listening.
Because the Divine Rule of Jesus goes against every fibre of our narrow myopic human concept of life as a kind of barter trade.
The Divine Rule is a tough rule. Yet St Paul would urge the Colossians: Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home in you.
Yes, the Divine Rule is a tough rule. But it is the rule of love.
To love as God loves is indeed tough.
But when we do so, God's love will also grow in us, His love will strengthen us and comfort us, and the love of Christ in all its richness, will find a home in us.