As you all know this was the second reading for Mass this past Sunday. It is probably one of the most quoted parts of the Bible, even by those who don't profess Christianity. We are told in this reading that, Love is.......... We can go on at length and identify the characteristics of what Love is......We also know that Christ has commanded us to Love each other in the same manner as He loved us. That is so basic and so simply, yet we find it near impossible to do. How are we to love everyone. There are so many people in this world that make it so difficult for us to love them. I believe the mark of a saint is to get past those difficulties and love, for the sake of Christ. But is we are honest with ourselves we all know how we fail at this miserably almost every day of our life.
I had a chance to spend some time during Mass yesterday with the candidates during Dismissal. I asked the question about what was the opposite of Love. Well the immediate response was Hate. I had expected that because I had asked that question many times before. So I related something I had once heard from a Jesuit priest during a Ignatian retreat. He said that the opposite of Love was not Hate but it was indifference. When we Love or hate we are at least assigning some value to the person or object that we Love or Hate. But if we remain indifferent to something we deny its very existence. We are saying it doesn't even have enough worth for me to care one way or the other.
Having read the second reading and knowing what Love is and also at the same time realizing how truly difficult it is to love everyone, we come to a place where we abandon the journey and give in and say its too hard, I can't do it, or we can start our journey to sainthood the same way that the Fathers of our faith have....one step at a time.
May I propose a first step? Even though we may not at this time love everyone, maybe the best thing we can do now is to stop being indifferent to them. We must find value in every human life. And that means everyone of them. Let us stop being indifferent to the beggar as though he doesn't exist as we walk by. Let us stop being indifferent to those who chose a different faith or lifestyle. Because when we are indifferent we rob these persons of the dignity of human life. Even if you can't muster a word or an action, say a quick prayer and ask for the grace realize the value a human life. These are the first step toward sainthood. They are never easy, holiness never is.
I had a chance to spend some time during Mass yesterday with the candidates during Dismissal. I asked the question about what was the opposite of Love. Well the immediate response was Hate. I had expected that because I had asked that question many times before. So I related something I had once heard from a Jesuit priest during a Ignatian retreat. He said that the opposite of Love was not Hate but it was indifference. When we Love or hate we are at least assigning some value to the person or object that we Love or Hate. But if we remain indifferent to something we deny its very existence. We are saying it doesn't even have enough worth for me to care one way or the other.
Having read the second reading and knowing what Love is and also at the same time realizing how truly difficult it is to love everyone, we come to a place where we abandon the journey and give in and say its too hard, I can't do it, or we can start our journey to sainthood the same way that the Fathers of our faith have....one step at a time.
May I propose a first step? Even though we may not at this time love everyone, maybe the best thing we can do now is to stop being indifferent to them. We must find value in every human life. And that means everyone of them. Let us stop being indifferent to the beggar as though he doesn't exist as we walk by. Let us stop being indifferent to those who chose a different faith or lifestyle. Because when we are indifferent we rob these persons of the dignity of human life. Even if you can't muster a word or an action, say a quick prayer and ask for the grace realize the value a human life. These are the first step toward sainthood. They are never easy, holiness never is.
