Mother Theresa said, “Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Last week I wrote a post about humility and as I wrapped it up, I quoted Pope Leo. He said, “May no one think they have all the answers. May each person openly share what they have.” I opened that post with, “you can tell the measure of people by how they treat someone who can’t do anything for them.” Put them together and you have the essence of loving your neighbor.
Over the last 4 or 5 weeks, I’ve used my Monday posts to highlight the terrors of the current administration, ridiculing the current goldval office occupant as he has always done with his perceived enemies.
Incongruous isn’t it. One hand of mine calls for us to love thy neighbor, no exceptions. In fact, if you scroll to the bottom of this page, you’ll see a picture of a billboard that reads, “That “Love thy neighbor thing.” I meant it. —God.” My other hand does all it can to prove to whoever is within reading distance to see how strongly I don’t love that blot on mankind.
What do you think? Does He make exceptions? Should it be okay to not love someone who not only loves no one but himself but goes out of his way to destroy those who disagree with his lies and attempts to manipulate others to gain and increase his power and money.
Maybe it doesn’t matter, maybe as much as I want to say, “how does it hurt you if two men or two women want to live together?” there is someone else saying go me, “How does it hurt you is someone on the other side of the country wants to keep a closet full of guns?” I suppose I could answer that as long as those guns stay in the closet, they can’t hurt me. Can you prove they are just as innocuous as if those two men are let out of the closet?
But then we’re back to “love thy neighbor – no exceptions.” Isn’t a righteous exception okay?
Surely there is precedent for such exceptions. If more people made the exception in 1931 would that have been enough to save the world of 14 years of evil, war, and genocide.
Surely that would have been righteous enough. Only who decides what is righteous? Or more to the point, I’m not that one. Are you?
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No. You’re not, and I’m not. Righteousness is God’s territory alone. That with an unfailing amount of love for us who are terribly broken and messy, for all of us who will judge others, even though love is what is asked of us. But not on our own. I believe God knows how hard it is to love one another–we see different and wrong, we see bad and compromising, and it’s incredibly tough to love when there doesn’t seem to be a modicum of loveliness in the other person. He looks with great tenderness on all of us–He doesn’t grade sin. He doesn’t categorize mistakes. He forgives if we ask for it. It’s got to be one of the hardest things to do. But God. I appreciate your thoughts, my friend. And your honesty.
So true Dayle,it’s hard to love those with no loving-ness in them but then also true He forgives if we ask. I’ll keep trying to do what’s right even when I don’t want to
I deeply enjoy and respect you, my friend.
Thank you!
Tough questions for a Monday morning, Michael! No, I’m not.
I heard an interesting perspective from Father Gregory Boyle who has spent his life creating jobs for former gang members in LA. He doesn’t believe in evil – but he’s seen a lot of terrible. His take is that we have to keep working to create healthy communities that ripple out. Sometimes that doesn’t seem like enough in the face of what we have going on but it is the thing I can effect today.
That is an interesting approach that there is no evil, but a lot of and I’d imagine varying degrees of terrible. Terrible can be undone. Evil is forever and of a different world.
You’ve articulated the conundrum I feel these days. Keep bringing your thoughts forward. I don’t have the answers but I appreciate knowing I’m not alone in the seeking. 💝
No Vicki, you’re not seeking alone. I’d probably be better off sitting in the sideline but knowing me, I’m basically incapable of that so… I’ll keep bringing things up!
And I’m grateful to you for doing so! 💕