Do Unto Others

I have often thought that if I did unto others what I would like others to do to me (Luke 6:31), then I would have reached the perfection of charity. Then, satisfied that I had accomplished all that was necessary, I could rest from my efforts. But that is not your unit of measure, Lord.

To visit someone, to distribute help, and to bring consolation are not merely good acts to be tallied up. It is not enough to do for others-I must courageously experience their sufferings, their wounds, their deepest aspirations, humiliations, misery, and despair in my own heart. This is the Gospel.

Your teaching is so simple, Lord, and yet so profound! I must love others "as myself"! What depth! How can I avoid living the fullness of your law of love?

Only when I am one with my brother or sister, when I carry in my own flesh and heart the destiny of someone who is suffering in body and soul, will I truly love that person as myself. If someone strikes my brother or sister, my own flesh is bruised and wounded.

Can anyone really love like this? You answered this question a long time ago when you said: "There is no greater love than to give one's life . . . for one's friends (John 15:13).

Lord, help me to remember the example of St. Maximilian Kolbe who offered to die in the place of a fellow prisoner!

This excerpt is taken from Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan's book, Prayers of Hope. Words of Courage (Pauline Books & Media, 2002), p. 8.

Copyright Word Among Us Apr 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved