Put on love; put on Christ
Thursday, 23rd week in Ordinary Time
Col 3: 12-17; Lk 6: 27-38
If we do not say that the words are from the letter to the Colossians, one can easily misjudge those as some paraphrasing of a part from the Gospel and as words of Christ himself. Paul had so intensely taken in the spirit of Christ that his insistence of putting on Christ comes from his person much stronger than from his words. Love is presented as the crux of Christ's message. When Paul said elsewhere too, to put on Christ he practically meant put on love. Love, understood not as childish sentiment of attachment and dependence, but a Christlike selfgiving. Love is the sweetest of all teachings of Christ and it is the most difficult of all too, for it comes inbuilt with forgiveness; forbearance, kindness, gentleness, Integrity and sacrifice. Isn't that difficult enough? The fact however is, if we believe being a Christian is to put on Christ, it can never happen except by putting on love!