Serious admonitions about Christian neighbourly love ....

B.D. No. 4096 August 3rd 1947

Recognise your weaknesses and try to resolve them .... don't become impatient when you should put yourselves into another person's position, and be lenient .... don't hurt his feelings, and take the commandment of love seriously when your neighbour needs your active help or encouraging words .... Don't provide any reason for argument but kind-heartedly try to find agreement, take My example, I Who approached all people with a loving heart to win them over. And thus you, too, should always try to win the other person's heart; you should leave nothing undone that could awaken love, for full understanding of the other person's weaknesses can only manifest itself in love. And thus each one of you should do this to the other, leave no opportunity unused to please with a kind word or a loving action, for if you avoid hurting your neighbour, if you give him inner peace, you will do a truly Christian deed of neighbourly love which will benefit you, for you will thereby strengthen him physically and spiritually. He will be placed into a state of love himself, he will feel love in return, and he will not fail to put his love into action. He will lessen his selfish love ....

Be patient and gentle, meek and humble, and your life will become easier, for love is the best weapon against animosity, and love forgives and endures, it gives and makes happy, it unites hearts, it heals wounds and will never be without understanding of the other person's weaknesses and faults and will finally triumph nevertheless, for love is strength which achieves whatever it wants ....

Amen