Once again I feel the time is ripe to write. What do I have to say? I write about who is right in front of me. I relate what is happening right in front of me. Although they might seem ordinary and unremarkable, all our interactions are opportunities for making the world a better place. When we interact with each other, we are invited to make choices in which we love each other.
As I've pointed out before, in the end all we will have will be the consequences of our own actions. After we have died, the time for action will be over. Therefore, the time for action is now.
And so I urge you to consider what you can do right now. How do you feel you can best act right now? As I've previously encouraged, and as Gandhi suggested, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
Do you feel there should be more compassion in the world? Then be more compassionate.
Do you feel people should be more tolerant? Show the tolerance you would like to see.
Do you believe persons should conduct themselves with more decorum and should respect others more? Show the respect you would like others to show.
Model the behavior you want to see being displayed. Show how you feel people should act.
Recently someone described to me how he envisioned meeting someone holding drastically different political views than he holds. He said he imagined embracing the person. Now I am not suggesting that we should always make such a gesture toward such a person. However, there are other loving ways of responding to someone with whom I am at odds. I am recalling situations where a person was yelling at someone else and the recipient of the anger replied in a calm, soft, gentle voice, and the tone of the conversation shifted. We are responsible for what we bring to every interaction we have. If we respond with love to someone, we can cause the overall tone of the exchange with that person to be more loving. Do we want love to reign in the world? Jesus told us to love each other as He has loved us.* And so we are called to do our best to love our neighbor.
Love the person who is right in front of you. Each of us has responsibilities to each other. Each of us has responsibilities to ourselves.
I am remembering a young man who often shows up here at the Catholic Worker House. Here I'll call him "Brendon." Brendon is probably in his mid to late twenties. When I saw him earlier this week, he was taking refuge here at the house from some of the rain.
As we talked, Brendon admitted to me that he takes illicit drugs. He looked pale. As he often does, he seemed to have difficulty focusing.
He asked, "I don't look good, do I?"
One of the Catholic Workers here replied, slightly softly, shaking his head, "No, you don't."
"Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate that."
"You're welcome. That's one of the things I'm supposed to do for you, is be honest with you."
We began to talk with him about how he could enter a drug rehab program. He said he was getting someone's help to try to get into a program.
I pointed out to him, "You've taken an important first step. You've admitted you need help. You've admitted you can't do this without someone else's help."
We have the responsibility to ourselves to be honest with ourselves. We have the responsibility to be honest with each other.
We are called to love ourselves. We are called to love each other.
Love yourself. Love the person right in front of you. Listen to the person in front of you. Even though it may be difficult, especially when someone is saying things we find inconsiderate or hurtful, we can choose to try to show that person the love we wish that person would show to us.
If we respond to hateful behavior with hate, we show the same offensive behavior we abhor. We create more pain in addition to the pain we already feel. We become what we hate. We become hate.
Instead of continuing the cycle of hate, Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us.** Then, by refusing to be like those who distress us and disturb us through their exclusionary and unwelcoming behavior, we can choose to respond in an inclusive, respectful and considerate way. Then we create the world we want to see. By modeling the loving behavior we wish to see in the world, we indeed make the world the kind of place we want it to be.
* John 13:34
** Matthew 5:44
As I've pointed out before, in the end all we will have will be the consequences of our own actions. After we have died, the time for action will be over. Therefore, the time for action is now.
And so I urge you to consider what you can do right now. How do you feel you can best act right now? As I've previously encouraged, and as Gandhi suggested, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
Do you feel there should be more compassion in the world? Then be more compassionate.
Do you feel people should be more tolerant? Show the tolerance you would like to see.
Do you believe persons should conduct themselves with more decorum and should respect others more? Show the respect you would like others to show.
Model the behavior you want to see being displayed. Show how you feel people should act.
Recently someone described to me how he envisioned meeting someone holding drastically different political views than he holds. He said he imagined embracing the person. Now I am not suggesting that we should always make such a gesture toward such a person. However, there are other loving ways of responding to someone with whom I am at odds. I am recalling situations where a person was yelling at someone else and the recipient of the anger replied in a calm, soft, gentle voice, and the tone of the conversation shifted. We are responsible for what we bring to every interaction we have. If we respond with love to someone, we can cause the overall tone of the exchange with that person to be more loving. Do we want love to reign in the world? Jesus told us to love each other as He has loved us.* And so we are called to do our best to love our neighbor.
Love the person who is right in front of you. Each of us has responsibilities to each other. Each of us has responsibilities to ourselves.
I am remembering a young man who often shows up here at the Catholic Worker House. Here I'll call him "Brendon." Brendon is probably in his mid to late twenties. When I saw him earlier this week, he was taking refuge here at the house from some of the rain.
As we talked, Brendon admitted to me that he takes illicit drugs. He looked pale. As he often does, he seemed to have difficulty focusing.
He asked, "I don't look good, do I?"
One of the Catholic Workers here replied, slightly softly, shaking his head, "No, you don't."
"Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate that."
"You're welcome. That's one of the things I'm supposed to do for you, is be honest with you."
We began to talk with him about how he could enter a drug rehab program. He said he was getting someone's help to try to get into a program.
I pointed out to him, "You've taken an important first step. You've admitted you need help. You've admitted you can't do this without someone else's help."
We have the responsibility to ourselves to be honest with ourselves. We have the responsibility to be honest with each other.
We are called to love ourselves. We are called to love each other.
Love yourself. Love the person right in front of you. Listen to the person in front of you. Even though it may be difficult, especially when someone is saying things we find inconsiderate or hurtful, we can choose to try to show that person the love we wish that person would show to us.
If we respond to hateful behavior with hate, we show the same offensive behavior we abhor. We create more pain in addition to the pain we already feel. We become what we hate. We become hate.
Instead of continuing the cycle of hate, Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us.** Then, by refusing to be like those who distress us and disturb us through their exclusionary and unwelcoming behavior, we can choose to respond in an inclusive, respectful and considerate way. Then we create the world we want to see. By modeling the loving behavior we wish to see in the world, we indeed make the world the kind of place we want it to be.
* John 13:34
** Matthew 5:44
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