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Hello A-G!!!

WRT nothing in particular and everything in general, I came across some lines last night that I wanted to share:

"Love, in fact, is the vocation which includes all others; it's a universe of its own, comprising all time and space -- it's eternal."

From St. Therese of Lisieux. I thought you might like this....

Jesus did not shy away from being blunt when the situation warranted it. Remember he said to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan" and when confronted by Pharisees he said " Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Those were not pulled punches.

Betty boop, thank you so very very much for that beautiful quote and for coming to my defense! And thank you, AndrewC, for your Scripture summary and commentary. I'm pinging a few others who have previously remarked on this subject.

Indeed, the love called for by the great commandment and in the Sermon on the Mount is both unconditional and constant; it doesn't diminish when the recipient resists it or resents it. It is never rude or mean (the point of type 3 in the original posts 873 and 881:)

Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. – I Cor 13:4-7

As you have all pointed out, Biblical love is tough. Most of the time, the loving thing to do is to present the Truth as we have received it, when we are compelled in the Spirit to speak up --- no matter how much pain it causes the hearer or ourselves. That is tough love.

When Christ told Peter “get thee behind me Satan” – He was rebuking Peter with that tough love. Peter was in spiritual peril:

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men – Matthew 16:23

The same is true of the rebuke of the Pharisees, the woes in Matthew 23. The Scribes and Pharisees were in spiritual peril for the reasons Christ gave.

Christ certainly “pulled no punches” when He spoke the Truth. Nor should we.

But we should never speak out of anger or hate or judgment or retribution - only out of love. IMHO, we Christians should pray before speaking – or at least ask ourselves why we are wanting to say this or that. If it is of ill motive, we ought not speak.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. – Matthew 5:44-48