In Rom 15:7 St Paul says: “Accept one another as Christ has accepted you – for the glory of God.”  The early Christian community was filled with people who had been enemies/strangers to each other: Gentiles, Jews, rich, poor, free people and slaves.  All are now equal members of the one Body of Christ.  “Accept one another as Christ has accepted you.”  Does the word “ACCEPT” get to the heart of what Jesus means when he tells us to love, even our enemies?  Whom do I find hard to accept?

Most often we think and sing about love with romantic overtones: love is something we feel – for some people.  This CAN’T be the kind of love Jesus means when he says, “Love your enemies.”  I’ll never have warm, fuzzy feelings toward enemies!  So what does he mean when he uses the word ”love” here?  What is he calling us to do – not just toward enemies but toward everyone?

February is the month of “love.”  On the 14^th we celebrate Valentine’s day, when we decorate homes with hearts, send cards professing love to those who are close to us.   Jesus tells us in the Great Commandment to “love God with all our heart, soul and strength – and our neighbor as ourselves.”  Is Jesus talking about the same kind of emotional love our decorations and cards signify or is he calling us to something deeper and more challenging?