Love denotes our Christian identity, because God Himself is Love, and as His people and children, it is imperative therefore that we have love in us, love that is truly genuine, generous and overflowing, just as God has always been shown His Love toward us, without cease and without prejudice.

God Himself has also shown us His love manifested perfectly in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Savior. Through Him and in everything that we hear in the Scripture passages this Sunday, we are all reminded to be generous in our love, first of all for the Lord, and then for our brothers and sisters around us.

And this is the exact same kind of love that Christ Himself has also shown us, which He alluded in our Gospel passage this Sunday, as He speaks of how all of us as Christians ought to show love to everyone and not just to those who love us back. Our love should be truly unconditional and generous and be shown to everyone we encounter in our lives.

This is, of course, much easier said than done, and it is indeed difficult for us to love those who have made our lives difficult, those who despise us and hate us. But if we do not take the first step to love them, and grow to hate and despise them instead, then there will be no end to this cycle of hatred and evil, as our hatred will only lead to even more hatred and negativity, which would lead to even more hatred and so on.

As Christians, we are challenged to be loving, compassionate and caring even to those who ignore us, those who refuse our love and hate us, those who consider us their enemies and those who do not see eye to eye with us. As the Lord Himself said, if we love only those who love us back, then how different does that make us from the unbelievers, for even those who are evil and wicked do the same.

We are all challenged to show selfless and universal love to everyone, without exception, much as the Lord Himself had done in His own life and ministry. Christ Himself had shown love and mercy to all, forgiving those who rejected and hurt Him, those who persecuted and oppressed Him.

Despite being betrayed and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to save, He still carried the Cross willingly for their sake, and He suffered and died on that same Cross at Calvary. He did not mean for His salvation to be only for those who are on His side or those who favor Him back, but for everyone, especially the last, the lost and the least.

Christ has become the New Adam by His own perfect obedience and perfect love, the most generous, selfless and exemplary love that He has shown, through His sacrifice and offering on the Cross. He bore all our sins — by His suffering and death all of us are assured of eternal life and salvation that God has promised to us from the very beginning.