Dan Gent's entry today reminded me of my favorite passage in Matthew, one section of the Sermon on the Mount which is violated every day by the most fervent and fundamentalist of Christians (who are the more to be criticized than others, because they supposedly follow Jesus' teachings):

'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you....'

Do good to them who do harm to you (not your 'brethren' only, but everyone). That's a tough precept to follow, because it implies forgiveness--not the kind of self-righteous forgiveness so often heard, but the acceptance kind of forgiveness which understands that we all have weakness and anger, and we are not true to our best selves at times.

Thank you, Dan Gent. I needed reminding.