Love is Deep

There has been much in the news these days about individuals acting out in violent ways, bringing pain and suffering to many innocent people.  School shootings, vehicles deliberately driving into crowds of people, homemade bombs on doorsteps... It seems to just go on and on.  How are younger members of the Church expected to deal with so much violence?  More importantly, how are you to respond in faith?

Yes, it is the real question, and it has a real answer.  We are to respond to violence by love; Yes love.  Remember that there is a world of difference between a feeling of love and a choice to love.  Jesus spoke of love to us many times as he walked his path to the cross.  But, you might be surprised to hear that not once was he talking about love as a ‘feeling’.  And we should be very happy about this.  Because, if Jesus were only talking about the feelings of love, he would have never allowed himself to be beaten, whipped, spit on, kicked, push, shoved, insulted, nailed to a wooden cross and hung there to die.  No chance!  He would have walked the other way. 

What gave him the ability to accept all of these things is his choice to do what he did not feel like doing.  While his emotions were saying ‘this is an ugly people’, his spirit, his reason, his heart was saying, regardless of how I feel I choose to love them all; love us all.  Jesus had to go deep within himself to find that true love.  It was underneath the emotions and the pain.  But, once he got under there, he found a wealth of love that he could tap into.  It is there that he had always encountered his Father.  It is where real prayer happens.  He was used to going there.  For him, when the violence began, he knew where he needed to go in order to take hold of that love.  He chose it.  And through it, he chose us.

But, what does that teach us about dealing with violence?  Well, we must first be used to going into that deep place inside our hearts where God lives.  We must be comfortable with this place of love.  When we see or experience the violence some will inflict, we must be ready to choose to love the violent, to pray for them, to forgive them, and to realize that our acts of love may be all there is to save them from themselves.  In such times, emotions will be our enemy.  So, go deep.

Peace and Joy!