Show 154: Love of Friends, Enemies and Self

In this episode we discuss the love and importance of friends, how to love your enemies and why you must also love yourself.

LOVE OF ONE'S FRIENDS

We call those men friends whose principles are the same as ours, and who cherish mutual good will, mutually support one another, and hold confidential intercourse one with another.
Those only are true friends whose friendship is based upon principles of religion.
Those are false friends whose friendship rests on principles that are reprehensible; they ruin one another body and soul, and forsake one another in the time of adversity.
It is not wrong to have friends, and to love them more than other men; for Christ had friends whom He loved with a special predilection.
It is a great happiness for us to have true friends, for they add greatly to the enjoyment of life, and preserve us from dangers of soul and body.
One must not be rash in forming friendships, nor must one do wrong to please a friend.

THE COMMANDMENT TO LOVE OUR ENEMY

We ought to love our enemies because Christ commands it; He says: "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you; pray for them that persecute and calumniate you " (Matt. v. 44).
The love of our enemy is shown in this: That we do not revenge ourselves on him, that we return good for evil, that we pray for him and forgive him willingly.
He who does not revenge himself on his enemy, or who even confers benefits upon him, puts his foe to shame and pacifies him, and will be rewarded by God; whereas he who hates his enemy and revenges himself on him commits a sin.
He who forgives his enemy will obtain forgiveness of his sins from God; but he who will not forgive his enemy God will not forgive.

THE LOVE OF ONE'S SELF

Among all classes of men each one is his own nearest neighbor. Consequently every man ought to love himself.

The true love of one's self shows itself herein, that we strive to attain that which will procure our real happiness; first and foremost our eternal felicity, and then such earthly things as are conducive to the attainment of eternal felicity.

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