clear ourselves of hatred and guilt.

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew19:19)

We cannot give love, if we don't have love. It works best to first love yourself (self-care), then love those closest to you (the love for your friends and family), and then the larger community, in that order. I understand that one cannot complete one sphere of love before moving on to the other—they all have to evolve at the same time. However, the priority of care should be upon self, family, and the world, in that order, to maintain health and wholeness.

Jesus responded with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Samaritans were of mixed race and despised by Orthodox Jews at that time, so Jesus calls us to love even the people everyone hates. He had a way of zinging his listeners, and this was no exception. Who can love like that? And yet, this is the call of God: to reach out beyond the familiarity of our close friends and family—even to our enemies—to exhibit the Kingdom of God in love.

We cannot do this unless we clear ourselves of hatred and guilt.