Making God's Standard of Love Our Own

by Fr. Roger J. Landry - February 21, 2005

Gospel Passage

Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

Brief Commentary

The Father beckons us to listen to his Son. Today the Son speaks to us about what it means to love like God.

Jesus once asked, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?,… Even sinners love those who love them." Jesus calls us to love like saints — to love like his Father.

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." God's love is shown in his merciful forgiveness of those who do not love him in return.

Jesus demonstrates his trust that we can, with God's grace, love in this way even our enemies, telling us, "The measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

Jesus first set the measure of real love and told us to love others as he loved us. The Father will treat us as we treat others. If we forgive others, the Father will forgive us. If we mercifully remit others' small debts, the Father will remit our enormous debts to him (cf. Mt 18:24ff).

He would not call us to this standard unless he knew that we, with his help, could live by it.

Jesus showed this love to the end. His first words from the Cross were "Father, forgive them."

May we listen to his words and make them our own.

Father Roger J. Landry is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, MA and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.