Give love

"Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est."

Where true charity and love abide, God is dwelling there.

Jesus told the disciples, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

Define love. I mean, I would think I just need to accept others and not be rude. You don't mean care for them or help them do you? I mean, I don't have to put love in action, do I?

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another."

By one another, you mean family and friends, right? Maybe church members too, in my own congregation? You are talking to those of us who are sensible, right? Not radicals.

Those like me, certainly. Not those of a different race. Not the super rich. Not the poor.

Not those in same-sex relationships. Not those who are pierced or tattooed.

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another."

But you mean those who care for themselves, right? Not outsiders or outcasts, at the borders or on our streets. Not the homeless or the uninsured. Not those who are addicted or mentally ill. Not those who are differently-abled.

"Just as (in the same way) I have loved you, you should love one another."