Mistakes (07/21/2025)

One of the most important phrases I learned in life, I learned early: “I’m sorry.”  Truly, it is one of the most important because our lives are bound together by relationships or they are supposed to be. And keeping those bonds strong among the imperfect human race requires frequent and free use of the phrase “I’m sorry” because we tend to make mistakes along the way.

I know that I have made so very many along the way. I’ve needed to apologize to my parents for disobedience, to my siblings for lack of compassion and for stubbornness. I’ve needed to apologize more than once to neighbors for slight offenses involving noise levels after dark as I was raising my teens. I’ve needed to apologize to fellow drivers and fellow shoppers as I’ve been out on missions at the most or errands at the least. And I’ve needed to apologize to myself sometimes for being too tough in some moments and not tough enough in others.

Lately, however, I’ve detected the pendulum swing reaching that point that isn’t new in history, in fact, we’ve been there many times. It’s when we begin to judge one another for mistakes where they do not exist. What I’m seeing is real polarization that sets us at odds with one another where we should be seeking to find common ground.

Like I said, this isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, one of my favorite sayings from St. John Chrysostomos, an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He said, “Love forgives many mistakes while hatred imagines mistakes where they do not exist.”  This week as I flipped through channels during the news hour, I found that saying coming to mind. There is a real divide in our nation.

Our loving LORD, our Almighty Father, sent His only-begotten Son to share in our humanity. He took on our human nature in all ways except sin. He taught us about the Almighty Father and His love for us. He called us to love one another as the Father loves us. And He gave His life as an atonement for our sins. He made no mistakes, yet one would not have guessed that if they were on the streets of Jerusalem that day or at the foot of the cross on Calvary. Hatred imagines mistakes where they do not exist.

There is only one LORD and there is only one true law, the law of loving and right relationships. We are called to love our LORD with all our being – mind, heart, and strength and to love one another as we love ourselves. All the other laws are but splinters from that law of right relationship. “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous. It is not inflated. It is not rude. It does not seek its own interest, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Cor 13:4-8).

As we continue on our journeys of faith, buoyed by our hope in the one true LORD, all present and all loving, let us seek to live that which our LORD asks of us, that which is woven into our very selves and that which calls us into right relationships with our LORD and one another, let us live loving lives and seek always to strengthen that love. Let us never seek to weaken it or destroy it for that would truly be a mistake.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.