1 John 2:9-11

Reading these words warning against hating our brothers and sisters reminded me of a book I reread last week. It's called "The Theology of the Cross", written by Daniel Deutschlander.

May I share the quote which jumped to my mind? The author writes, "You are one for whom Christ died and rose again and so am I. For you, no less than for me, he rules all things in heaven and on earth. If I can just keep that reality in mind, what respect, what dignity, what honor you have in my eyes! To use you or take advantage of you for my own ends should never even occur to me. I wouldn't dream of hurting or harming you. I cannot imagine speaking ill of you or insulting you. My fondest ambition is only this, to love and serve you. For in loving and serving you, I love and serve Christ, who lives in you (Mt 25:40). If you are sad or depressed, I want to cheer you up by reminding you of the reality of your status and of the reality of my love for you and my eagerness to serve you. If you are in need, it is an honor for me to be able to help you in any way that I can; for in helping you, I come as close as I can to giving the infant Jesus a blanket against the cold Judean night. In serving you, I wipe his tortured brow on the way to the cross. Even if you are in error, have fallen into sin or even into self-righteousness, I can only ache until I have done all that I can to call you back to the love and grace and mercy of Christ."

It's a beautiful example of how we love our brothers and sisters, and my prayer for each of us as we reflect on what God has been teaching us this week.