Jesus says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." To guide the disciples to a deeper understanding of the law, we hear Jesus teaching His disciples to love inclusively. But why a command to love even the enemy? Doesn't love have to be freely given for it to be genuine love?

Jesus is directing us, as children of God, to love like our heavenly Father does. Jesus magnifies that love by saying "your Heavenly Father makes His sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and sends rain to fall on both the just and the unjust." We love because God loved us first (1 Jn 4:19). So to love inclusively is in our being. Jesus is really reminding us to be who we are - children of God capable of loving justly.

In honesty, those we perceive as 'enemies' and 'persecutors' are usually people who are around us. People who irk us are usually those in our family, workplace, social circles, our next-door neighbour. In truth, to love and to pray for my enemies and persecutors is to transform myself to become a blessing for the people around me.