To love till it hurts

Today, we continue to study Isaiah 58. To recap, Isaiah criticized the hypocrisy of the Israelites who wrapped up their sins with piety. Isaiah made it clear that true piety could not be superficial and ritualistic. God wanted reconciliation and charity instead.
What are the fruits of true piety?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am (Isaiah 58:8-9a).
What does "your righteousness צִדְקֶךָ" mean? The Chinese translation has a more meaningful rendering.
你的救援要走在你前面，Your deliverance shall go before you.
When our piety is true, God will answer us when we call. God will deliver us and heal us. The glory of the Lord will protect us from behind. Then we will become a guiding light for the others, cheering them up and giving them hope. Once more, it is not glory for our own sake, but for the good of the others. It is a reminder of community spirit in this individualistic age.

When we give, we usually give from our spare. When we give, we calculate and reserve some for our own use. How many of us would buy a flag on Saturday for $1000? Of course, people will praise you because you are very generous indeed. Still, you can spare $1000.
What does Isaiah say?
if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday (Isaiah 58:10 RSV).
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; ... (KJV)
你若把你的食糧施捨給飢餓的人，滿足貧窮者的心靈； If you give your food to the hungry and satisfy the soul of the poor ...
KJV is the closest to the Hebrew original. The RSV translation is not satisfactory. The Chinese one is the easiest to understand but not loyal to the original. If you read only one translation of the Bible, you will miss a lot.
Drawing out your soul is more demanding than pouring yourself out and even more challenging than giving your food. It hurts to draw out your soul. God is asking us to empty ourselves until it hurts, to love others until it hurts. Remember to love others not according to our wish, to satisfy our ego, but to love for the dignity and good of the others. This is exactly what Jesus has done for us, to love until he bleeds. Loving your family members can hurt.

My father was discharged this afternoon. It proves that my conjecture was wrong. His condition is stable but my younger brother has to keep watch over him, especially during the critical hours in the morning. For three times my father was rushed to the hospital in the morning before seven. I will visit my father tomorrow after mass.

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your kindness to my father. Lord, help me to love more. Amen.