Spirtual Reflection

“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34

This week we hear about the importance of showing compassion, forgiveness and love to others in our everyday lives, so that we are living like Jesus. We are reminded in Luke’s Gospel to love others (even those who hurt us) like Jesus loved which is often hard for us to comprehend. This is an opportunity and an invitation to grow as we need to continually extend ourselves to love like Jesus.

By actively choosing to show mercy to others, our hearts become open and are changed so that we can feel and make known to others God's unconditional love for us.

Forgiving those who hurt us is not always easy and can take time. We need to remember that God knows us and loves each of us unconditionally, even when our words and actions may cause us to stray. God will always forgive us and invite us back. We need to draw on God’s unconditional love to help us forgive others unconditionally.

Not only do we need to forgive others but we also need to forgive ourselves. Holding onto negativity can cause us to judge others and make incorrect assumptions about them. In the words of Ted Lasso, we need to ‘be curious, not judgemental.’ We need to show compassion to others and ourselves so that we can become a light to others by reflecting the goodness of God in the world around us.

How do I show compassion to others and myself?

What assumptions do I make about others?

Why is forgiveness important for my own peace and wellbeing?