LOVING-KINDNESS

3.9.2020

In our Salesian charism, we used the phrase loving-kindness to describe the way Don Bosco asked us to love other people. This love isn't any ordinary kind of love but one that challenges and encourages a person to grow.

Jesus describes what this can look like in Sunday's gospel where he encourages us to actually talk with the ones we love when they do something wrong. Not in an aggressive way, but from a place of love and respect.

Through reflection, I find myself challenged by this aspect of love. I want to bring happiness and joy into other people's lives, and so anything that steps outside of this is often confronting. But in the same way, I don't want to be someone that people can walk all over. Jesus and Don Bosco teach us that real love shouldn't just be all mushy and gushy, it should also help those around us, as well as ourselves, to grow

-Raqael