Expanding love.

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you? (Matthew 18:33).

Science has suggested that humans use only 10 percent of their brains. Moving from this idea, some people have suggested that if we could access the other 90 percent, we would be able to solve so many problems like poverty and world hunger. There may be some merit in this speculation, but we should also acknowledge that much of the problem lies in our hearts and not just in our brains.

Imagine what could happen if we were able to access more of our hearts! What would this world look like if we could love more, forgive more, have more empathy, and look at ourselves and each other the way God does.

Today’s Gospel tells the story of a man who was given the opportunity to do just that but who refused. Having received the pardon of an immense debt from his master, he turned around and acted out of a stingy heart instead. Somehow, even though he had been given a huge gift, he remained as hard-hearted and ungenerous as before. And so it was not the master’s decree but the servant’s own ingratitude that landed him in prison. He excluded himself from the forgiveness his master had offered him.

As far as Jesus is concerned, anyone who has been forgiven much should be so touched by this forgiveness that he or she is moved to love much. But that will happen only as we allow our hearts to be melted by the mercy given to us. Again, it’s a heart issue as well as a brain issue.

Jesus gave all he possibly could when he died on the cross. Don’t take this gift lightly. There’s no way you could possibly repay him for what he has done for you. The only real response—the response of the heart—is to embrace his love and let it make you into a more merciful person. It’s only if we close our hearts to God’s mercy that our love shrinks, allowing criticism and harshness to creep in. So stay mindful of all that you have been given, and you’ll find your capacity to love expanding day by day!

“Thank you, Father, for treating me with so much love! May that love overflow in me, touching every person I encounter today.”

from wau.org