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, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:43-45
an excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount
If it ain't about love, it ain't about God.
-Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Excerpts from a recent blogpost from Anne Lamott:
Every so often, I mention a book I've always thought about writing called "All The People I Still Hate: A Christian Perspective."Half the people responding roar with laughter and say "I'd read that." And half are sort of horrified by either the word "hate" or "Christian.' ...
You're not supposed to hate, because hate is ugly and diminishes the soul of the hater. But if I were to be honest, I'd admit that I could still write the book, about some of our leaders and one really special ex-boyfriend. But I got the miracle. ...
I believe against all odds, that if we stick together, take care of the poor and the very old, get thirsty people water, including our own worried self-obsessed selves, we can dramatically reduce our viral load. We can be love with skin on. We can be present in barbaric times, and at the same time be nourished by the gorgeous and inspiring things all around us. We can be free.
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-Jay Sidebotham