7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First reading – Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18
“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. ‘“You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart… You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.” In this reading from the Old Testament, the relation between holiness and the love for the neighbour is very clear. Holiness depends on how much I can welcome my neigbour into my heart. This love is the openness of our heart to the other person. It does not depend on some actions. It depends on accepting the person before his or her individual actions. The individual actions of the person must not produce hatred, vengeance, or grudge, says the Word of God. The holiness depends on the fact that how much you can grow over these to the point of loving the other person. A love that is not conditioned by the offence of the other person but a love that sees the Lord who asks us to love the other person as ourselves. Let’s reflect: Is my love to others conditioned by his or her single actions?