“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”

A certain monk was praying under a tree beside a river. As he prayed the tide was coming and the river was rising. Then he noticed a scorpion at the foot of the tree struggling for dear life as the surging waves tried to drown it. The monk stretched out his hand to pull the scorpion to safety place, but each time his hand came near the scorpion tried to sting him. A passerby saw what was going on and said to the monk: “What are you doing? Don’t you know that it is in the nature of a scorpion to sting?” “Yes,” replied the monk, “And it is my nature to save. Do I have to change my nature because the scorpion does not want to change its nature”.
Today’s gospel urges Christians to remain true to their nature of love even when the people around them remain adamant in their nature of hate.
There is the story of the man who appeared at the gate of heaven asking to be let in. St Peter asked him why he thought he should be let in. The man answered: “my hands are clean.” “Yes,” answered Peter, “but they are empty!”
Jesus asks for more. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” What is so special about that? Jesus asks for extra. For example: David had his chance to kill his enemy before his enemy killed him, as Saul fully intended to do. But he held back and he would not take Saul’s life.
If there is in our lives a scorpion of hate that delights in stinging us, let us, like the monk, remain faithful to our commitment to love.