The scriptures today are certainly counter to a culture which promotes self-aggrandizement and selfishness. Going beyond the "Golden Rule" of doing onto others as we would like them to do to us, going beyond taking care of those close to us, the readings today invite us to place others and their needs, even those of strangers or of adversaries, ahead of us and ahead of our own needs. It makes no sense to the world and would fail as a business plan but reaps some awesome rewards in perhaps often unseen ways.

There are countless little ways we can show our solidarity with God and with others without a lot of fanfare or even inconvenience. For example, we can hold the door open for the person entering behind us. We can pick up one piece of litter on the sidewalk. We can acknowledge by a nod or even smile the person ahead or behind of us as we wait in a line or allow someone to go ahead of us.

The world asks what this sort of behavior gets for us, how we are rewarded or how we profit by it. The benefits we receive from this sort of behavior are not measurable on scales the world accepts. By loving others first, truly loving them as unconditionally as we are able, we open ourselves up to the grace of God and develop our character and mature into someone a bit more like the God who always loves us first and unconditionally.