LOVE
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR
HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, WITH ALL YOUR MIND,
THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREATEST
COMMANDMENT. THE SECOND IS LIKE IT:
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
ALL OF THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS HANG
ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS.
What is love? In our hearts we know.
WHEN I WAS HUNGRY, YOU GAVE ME FOOD;
WHEN I WAS THIRSTY, YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO DRINK; WHEN I WAS A STRANGER YOU
TOOK ME IN, WHEN I WAS NAKED YOU GAVE ME CLOTHING; WHEN I WAS SICK YOU TOOK
CARE OF ME, WHEN I WAS IN PRISON YOU VISITED ME. THEN THE RIGHTEOUS WILL REPLY,
LORD, WHEN WAS IT THAT WE SAW YOU HUNGRY AND GAVE YOU FOOD, OR THIRSTY AND GAVE
YOU SOMETHING TO DRINK, A STRANGER AND TOOK YOU IN, OR NAKED AND GAVE YOU
CLOTHING? WHEN DID WE SEE YOU ILL OR IN PRISON, AND CAME TO VISIT YOU? AND THE
KING WILL ANSWER, I TELL YOU THIS: ANYTHING YOU DID FOR THE LEAST OF MY
BROTHERS HERE, YOU DID FOR ME.
Who should we love? God and our
neighbor.
AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? JESUS
REPLIED, A MAN WAS ON HIS WAY FROM JERUSALEM DOWN TO JERICHO WHEN HE FELL INTO
THE HANDS OF ROBBERS, WHO STRIPPED HIM, BEAT HIM, AND WENT AWAY LEAVING HIM
HALF DEAD. IT SO HAPPENED THAT A PRIEST WAS GOING DOWN BY THE SAME ROAD; BUT
WHEN HE SAW HIM, HE WENT PAST ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO TOO A LEVITE CAME TO THE
PLACE, AND WHEN HE SAW HIM HE WENT PAST ON THE OTHER SIDE. BUT A SAMARITAN WHO
WAS MAKING THE JOURNEY CAME UPON HIM, AND WHEN HE SAW HIM HE TOOK PITY ON HIM.
HE WENT TO HIM AND BANDAGED HIS WOUNDS, BATHING THEM WITH OIL AND WINE. THEN HE
LIFTED HIM ON HIS OWN ANIMAL, BROUGHT HIM TO AN INN, AND TOOK CARE OF HIM
THERE. THE NEXT DAY HE TOOK OUT TWO SILVER PIECES AND GAVE THEM TO THE
INNKEEPER, AND SAID, TAKE CARE OF HIM; AND IF YOU SPEND ANY MORE, I WILL REPAY
YOU ON MY WAY BACK. WHICH OF THESE THREE DO YOU THINK WAS NEIGHBOR TO THE MAN
WHO FELL INTO THE HANDS OF THE ROBBERS? HE ANSWERED, THE ONE WHO SHOWED HIM
KINDNESS. JESUS SAID, GO AND DO LIKEWISE.
If you choose to love, many people will
hate you. If you choose to hate them back you give up love.
YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID, AN
EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. BUT WHAT I TELL YOU IS THIS: DO NOT
RESIST AN EVILDOER. IF ANYONE STRIKES YOU ON THE RIGHT CHEEK, TURN AND OFFER
HIM YOUR LEFT. IF ANYONE WANTS TO SUE YOU FOR YOUR SHIRT, LET HIM HAVE YOUR
COAT AS WELL. IF ANYONE FORCES YOU GO A MILE, GO WITH HIM TWO. GIVE TO THE ONE
WHO ASKS YOU TO GIVE, AND DO NOT TURN AWAY FROM THE ONE WHO WANTS TO BORROW FROM
YOU.
YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID, LOVE
YOUR NEIGHBOR AND HATE YOUR ENEMY. BUT WHAT I TELL YOU IS THIS: LOVE YOUR
ENEMIES.... DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU,.... PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ABUSE AND....
PERSECUTE YOU; SO THAT YOU MAY BE CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WHO MAKES
HIS SUN RISE ON THE EVIL AND THE GOOD, AND SENDS RAIN ON THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE
UNRIGHTEOUS. IF YOU LOVE ONLY THOSE WHO LOVE YOU, WHAT REWARD DO YOU HAVE? DO
NOT EVEN THE TAX COLLECTORS DO THE SAME? AND IF YOU GREET ONLY YOUR BROTHERS, WHAT
MORE ARE YOU DOING THAN OTHERS? DO NOT EVEN THE TAX COLLECTORS DO THE SAME? BE
PERFECT THEREFORE, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT.
AND NOW A MAN CAME UP AND ASKED HIM,
GOOD TEACHER, WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? JESUS SAID. WHY DO YOU
CALL ME GOOD? NO ONE IS GOOD, EXCEPT GOD ALONE... IF YOU WISH TO ENTER INTO
LIFE, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.
If you love those who hate you, you will
forgive them.
DO NOT JUDGE, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT BE
JUDGED. FOR IN THE SAME WAY YOU JUDGE OTHERS, YOU WILL BE JUDGED, AND THE
MEASURE YOU GIVE WILL BE THE MEASURE YOU RECEIVE. WHY DO YOU LOOK AT THE SPECK
OF SAWDUST IN YOUR BROTHERS EYE, BUT PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE GREAT PLANK IN
YOUR OWN EYE? OR HOW CAN YOU SAY TO YOUR BROTHER, LET ME TAKE THE SPECK OUT OF
YOUR EYE, WHEN ALL THE TIME THERE IS THAT PLANK IN YOUR OWN? YOU HYPOCRITE!
FIRST TAKE THE PLANK OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE, AND THEN YOU WILL SEE CLEARLY TO TAKE
THE SPECK OUT OF YOUR BROTHER'S.
WHOEVER WISHES TO BE GREAT AMONG YOU
SHALL BE YOUR SERVANT, AND WHOEVER WISHES TO BE FIRST AMONG YOU SHALL BE YOUR
SLAVE.... ALL WHO EXALT THEMSELVES WILL BE HUMBLED, AND ALL WHO HUMBLE
THEMSELVES WILL BE EXALTED.
THEN PETER CAME UP AND ASKED HIM,
LORD, HOW OFTEN AM I TO FORGIVE MY BROTHER IF HE SINS AGAINST ME? AS MANY AS SEVEN
TIMES? JESUS REPLIED, NOT SEVEN TIMES; I TELL YOU, SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES.
THEREFORE I TELL YOU, PEOPLE WILL BE
FORGIVEN FOR EVERY SIN AND BLASPHEMY, BUT BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE SPIRIT WILL NOT
BE FORGIVEN. ANYONE WHO SPEAKS A WORD AGAINST THE SON OF MAN WILL BE FORGIVEN,
BUT ANYONE WHO SPEAKS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN, EITHER IN
THIS AGE OR IN THE AGE TO COME.
You will be tempted over and over again
to do things that you would not do if you loved God and your neighbor. If you
do these things you give up love.
ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE. THE
GATE IS WIDE AND THE ROAD IS BROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, AND MANY GO THAT
WAY; BUT THE GATE IS NARROW AND THE ROAD IS SMALL THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND THERE
ARE FEW WHO FIND IT.
THEN THEY WILL HAND YOU OVER TO BE
TORTURED AND PUT TO DEATH, AND YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS BECAUSE OF MY
NAME. THEN MANY WILL FALL AWAY, AND THEY WILL BETRAY ONE ANOTHER AND HATE ONE
ANOTHER. AND MANY FALSE PROPHETS WILL ARISE AND LEAD MANY ASTRAY. AND BECAUSE OF
THE INCREASE OF LAWLESSNESS, THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD. BUT THE ONE WHO
ENDURES TO THE END WILL BE SAVED. AND THIS GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM WILL BE
PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, AS A TESTIMONY TO ALL THE NATIONS; AND THEN
THE END WILL COME.
DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM
DO TO YOU.
It is your choice, to love God and your
neighbor, or not to love God and your neighbor.
THEN HE WILL SAY TO THOSE ON HIS LEFT
HAND, 'YOU THAT ARE ACCURSED, DEPART FROM ME INTO THE ETERNAL FIRE PREPARED FOR
THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS; FOR WHEN I WAS HUNGRY YOU GAVE ME NO FOOD, WHEN I WAS
THIRSTY YOU GAVE ME NOTHING TO DRINK; WHEN I WAS A STRANGER YOU DID NOT INVITE
ME IN, WHEN I WAS NAKED YOU DID NOT GIVE ME CLOTHING; WHEN I WAS SICK AND IN
PRISON YOU DID NOT VISIT ME. AND THEY TOO WILL REPLY, LORD, WHEN WAS IT THAT WE
SAW YOU HUNGRY OR THIRSTY OR A STRANGER OR NAKED OR SICK OR IN PRISON, AND DID
NOT DO ANYTHING FOR YOU? AND HE WILL ANSWER, I TELL YOU THIS: ANYTHING YOU DID
NOT DO FOR THE LEAST OF THESE, YOU DID NOT DO FOR ME. AND THESE WILL GO AWAY
INTO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS INTO ETERNAL LIFE.
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR
HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, WITH ALL YOUR MIND. LOVE
YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
