When I have a talk or consultation with Christian people, I often found many people were obsessed with this commandment, Love your neighbour. This is one of two the most important commandments for us Cristian, with the other commandment, Love your Lord. So many people told me they felt guilty for not loving other people enough. The more faithful life someone wants to live, the more guilty they felt.
⠀
Some people who just became Cristian even lost their confidence to keep on their faith feeling too much burden from this commandment. "Love your neighbour."
⠀
They said they could not live their life as apostle Luke said,"To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.(luke6,29)" They had tried, but the more they tried, the more they got hurt because it is not easy to follow and they feel they are the one who always suffers. In this circumstance, Faith squeezes their throat, not giving them free.
⠀
If you feel too much burden and lose your faith by this commandment, what on earth this commandment is for?
⠀
When I meet someone who has difficulties from this, I tell them to read this commandment in the Bible again. Because they lost an important part of the commandment. Especially this part, "as yourself."
⠀
From the Old Testament, We can find this commandment in Leviticus.
⠀
"Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19,18
⠀
"You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God." Leviticus 19,35
⠀
The commandment in the New Testament based on this Leviticus. We certainly see "as yourself".
"You shall love your neighbour as yourself." "have the same love for him as for yourself."
⠀
It depends on how we love ourselves if we can keep the commandment well or not. Even though we keep doing good things, if we do not care for yourself, I dare say, it is not the way of love, it is not the way of freedom.
⠀
We need to exercise. We need to make an effort to be a good mature Cristian. But on our way, we need to keep a balance. If hatred and disappointment and guilt fill our heart, what on earth your good doing matters? The balance between loving ourselves and others. This is not just an excuse. This is something about accepting ourselves who is still immature. We need the courage to accept our immaturity which will last until the day we die. You need the courage to accept the criticism from others that you are not good enough. But we do not need to consume ourselves disguising like the saints that we are actually not and we do not need to consume ourselves to get good evaluations from other people.
⠀
It is difficult. We can not live apart from evaluations from other people, especially people like us who live in the community with people who we call brothers and sisters but actually are not real family. But in here, we can learn how to lean only on the evaluation from God, and then later we can learn that God has no evaluation for us at all, but love. If we realize it, then we will easily keep the balance between loving ourselves and loving others.
⠀
⠀
So I suggest to me and to you today that love yourself a little more today. Even though it might be seen as selfishness or immaturity to other people, we know that will give us more room to accept other people. Then we can also accept selfishness or immaturity of other people that will last until the day we die.
⠀
⠀
Today's Gospel says to us " love your enemies."
⠀
To love your enemy, love your self first.
To love yourself, be brave and accept your immaturity.
Then it will help us to accept that of others.
Then it will also help us to love our enemies.
⠀
So my friend, love yourself today more than any other day. That will help us to love our enemies.
⠀
Love your enemies, as love yourself!