Sowing Love (10/5/2021)

[This is the first of 9 articles on living the prescripts of the Peace Prayer]

Last night as I watched the news before retiring, the division in our nation and our world compounded by the demonization of “the other” as the enemy hit me squarely and profoundly. As I sat there, shaking my head with the silent, “This should not be! This needs to stop!” it hit me. “What will you do about it?”

That question haunted me for some time. I’m a 71-year-old retired professor of Pastoral Theology. What could I do that would make a difference? I was still pondering it as I cleared the kitchen counter, preparing to retire. I opened the kitchen drawer where I store my mixing bowls to put one away, and immediately, the parable of the leaven came to mind. I found myself forming and speaking the words out loud: “Be the leaven of Christ’s love in the world.” I found myself praying the prayer of St. Francis out loud, slowly, intentionally.

Yesterday was the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, and I shared the prayer of St. Francis that has been my daily agenda as a disciple of Christ since I was a child. Last night, I realized that focusing on living Christ through the prescripts of that prayer would be a good beginning for me at this juncture in my journey, and I pray, my sharing of that will be beneficial to others on the way, as well.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” Our world, at this time, is marked by hatred, so love shown and practiced anywhere at any time is allowing the LORD’s love to enter in and affect the whole. As followers of Christ, we must be willing to love the LORD with all our mind, heart and strength, and to live that through our love of one another regardless of the behavior of others. As disciples we recognize that we will encounter hatred expressed in hateful words and actions along the way, while responding in kind would be understandable, we know in our hearts it is unacceptable.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, our fuel for the journey must be love of the LORD lived out through authentic love for one another. Kindness must mark our encounters with others. If we can’t exercise genuine empathy for others along the way, we can at least practice compassion. We must be the agents of the return of respect for the dignity of the other regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or politics. By loving the other, we aren’t surrendering to their hatred, we’re defeating it through the righteous power of love, the very essence of our divine LORD. And when we must stand up to the measures of hatred expressed by others, we can do so with love rather than hatred.

I think of my parents. They never “surrendered” to my unreasonable and at times unbecoming and unloving behavior. I knew immediately that I was “out of line.” But it was love that motivated their response and it was through love for me that they were able to correct me. Love doesn’t mean we behave like “milk-toast.” Love is stronger than hate. Love drives us to help the other become the one they are called to be by our loving LORD.

As we go about our way, let us remember that we are the vessels of the LORD’s love. Let us pour out that love fittingly and generously. Let us recognize the dignity and divinely created spirit within everyone we meet. Let us seek to make the world a better place by seeking to live the love of Christ everywhere at all times.

Until tomorrow, love well.

(Note: the next 8 days, the blogs will focus on living Christ daily through the prescriptions laid out in Prayer of St. Francis)