Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
“We have an obligation not only to love each other but also in our love to make ourselves as lovable as possible so that it is easy for our sisters and brothers to love us.”
William of St. Thierry (1085-1148) in “De Natura et Dignitate Amoris” (The Nature and the Dignity of Love). William was a theologian, a monk, and both a contemporary and a close friend to Bernard of Clairvaux.
In the Middle Ages, the Christian life was often lived out in community in an abbey. When Christians lived in close proximity to each other, imagine how easy it would have been to rub each other the wrong way.
Is there someone close to you that sometimes is hard to love or difficult to live with in the community of faith? Perhaps you have co-workers, neighbors, or even family members that drive you crazy.
William would say to make the effort to love them and make yourself lovable. How do we do this? Since the focus of our heart is dying to self, the answer is to take the posture of a servant, like Jesus, and live for God and others.
It’s not easy, so thankfully we have the Holy Spirit to help us live a holy (think: set apart for God) life. God, help us be generous conduits of your divine love and live in such a way that we are lovable to others. Amen.