Reflection for February 28 Saturday of the First Week of Lent: Matthew 5:43-48

Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 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.  

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

+ + + + + + + 

Reflection:

What is genuine love?

Genuine love is a love that does not discriminate—a love that embraces everyone, even those who may seem unlovable in our eyes. This is the kind of love that reaches out without hesitation and accepts others despite their weaknesses and shortcomings. The beauty of loving even those who do not love us is that we show them what true love really is—love that comes from Jesus Himself, a love that is patient, merciful, and freely given.

When we love even those who seem difficult to love, we do not only give them our unconditional love; we also teach them how to love. Never mind if they do not love us in return. What matters is that we share with them the language of unconditional love so that they may learn from it and, hopefully, be transformed by it. Sometimes the love that we give today becomes the seed of love that will grow in another person’s heart tomorrow.

But is unconditional love still relevant in our world today? Many people see love as a two-way street: we love others only if they love us in return. If they do not love us, we withhold our love from them. Yet if this becomes our mindset, the language of true love slowly fades away. Genuine love and real sacrifice for others begin to disappear, replaced by love that depends on conditions and expectations.

True or genuine love, therefore, means loving without conditions and loving without expecting anything in return. This kind of love is not easy. It asks us to go beyond our comfort, our pride, and even our hurt. Yet if we truly love Jesus, we will be able to give love freely—a love that is not bound by the laws of reciprocity but guided by the generous heart of God.

In the end, genuine love is not measured by how much love we receive, but by how much love we are willing to give.– Marino  J. Dasmarinas