Today, in the first reading, we hear one of the most important teachings that we will ever learn, and that St. Peter needed to learn. God doesn’t have favorites. Everyone who does what is right is acceptable to God. There are no barriers, no dividing lines that separate us from one another. Not race, not color, not creed. In Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord tells us that not even enemies are to be treated differently. Love your enemies, He tells us, and do good to those who treat you badly. This teaching can be seen in practice on every page of the Gospels, where Jesus is confronted by His opponents. He treats them all with fairness, openness and honesty. This fair dealing with difficult people is love in action. At the Last Supper Jesus gives us the commandment to “love one another, as I have loved you.” For love is not a feeling. It is a response to God’s loving us first, and a grace of Christ to love others. The love of God for us inspires us to love others and to make no exceptions.
St. John the Baptist PNCC
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