“Please grant us the strength to withstand life’s challenges, the compassion to confront our pain, and the patience to wait the dawning of love.” – Beverly Lanzetta

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Matthew 5:44-45

Jesus said, “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 rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

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We often hear people passionately citing certain gospel passages…but not this one.

This statement by Jesus gets conveniently overlooked.

It doesn’t work in a country that glorifies crushing the adversary.

Jesus gives a radical message of love in today’s scripture.

I mean, it can’t get more radical than loving your enemies, right?

But isn’t that what pure love is?

It’s radical in that, in its purest state, this love is unconditional.

That’s the Love that Jesus experiences from what is translated here as “heavenly Father.”

In a more expansive translation that would likely come from the Aramaic language Jesus spoke, the meaning would probably be closer to Sacred Unity or Divine Birther.

The Divine Birther doesn’t separate and divide anything.

This Sacred Unity can only love everything because it is Love and has created everything through Love.

Its very nature is a part of everything.

God’s love is not quid pro quo.

Jesus compares it to the sun rising on the bad and the good, and the rain falling on the just and the unjust.

Each of us knows that we sometimes might be considered good; but we also know that, on rare occasions of course, we might be considered bad.

None of us acts perfectly.

We all have our faults.

But the Sacred Unity always holds us in a Loving Gaze.

We literally breathe-in the unconditional Love that sustains us.

This kind of Love transforms!

How will the world come to know this Infinite Love if not through us?

Feel the Grace raining down upon you.

Allow it to settle into your heart.

Feel its immense warmth.

How will we pass it on to all of creation?

How will we pass it on to our enemies?

Our reliance must not be on ourselves but on Grace.

May it be so!

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Listen to the song of the day “Radically Okay” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

My 4 albums and 2 books (Mercy Reigns & Listen to Your Heart) are available for purchase HERE. Also available on Amazon.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!