Love like Jesus

If we were all loving as Christ loved, then our churches would be overflowing with people. Often times we get so comfortable in our Bible studies or small groups that we fail to venture out of our bubble. Jesus had his disciples, but he also spent a large amount of his time with sinners and other broken people. Rather than shining light on the sins and imperfections of others, he loved, healed, and understood the people he worked with. It was through love that so many people were converted. Jesus didn't reduce God to just rules and traditions. He explained through a series of parables that the teachings of the Bible are rooted in love. It's so easy as a Catholic to miss this step if our focus is too much on tradition, rules, and doctrine.

Jesus' focus was on mercy, grace, and forgiveness and how these principles apply to the commandments of the Bible. Jesus understood that rules without relationship were completely ineffective. This message was conveyed in the Bible when Jesus responded to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were religious leaders of the time and they were one of the groups that eventually led Christ to his crucifixion. Jesus frequently rebuked them for the way they did things. They came across as self righteous and they put themselves above others because of their position in the church. Although what they were doing was equally as bad (if not worse) than the sins of others because they were prideful.

It's important to be proud of your Catholic faith, but it's most important to have a sense of humility. It's the sense of love, understanding, and humility that draws people in. Charity is another way that Jesus loved. We hear the readings in church every Sunday about service, but do these messages really sink in and drive our actions. We need to decrease to make God and others increase and with this we can truly love as Jesus did.