Happy Presidents Weekend! February 20 is also National Love Your Pet Day, encouraging pet owners to give their companions a special treat, a grooming, a long walk.
Everyone enjoys a good laugh. I re-read Disorder in the American Courts, from trial transcripts. For example, an attorney asked a witness to describe an individual. The reply: “Medium height with a beard.” The attorney asked: “Was this a male or a female?” The witness answered: “Unless the circus was in town, I’m going with male.” The book is good for a laugh.
I do enjoy reading. One book The Power of Meaning explains that happiness results from living an other-centered life. The author describes three ingredients.
First, a sense of belonging, with family, colleagues or like-minded pals. A second ingredient is purpose, to do something. It can be work, volunteer service or even a hobby. A third is transcendence, living for something greater than ourselves, e.g., family, a profession, a passion for a cause like homelessness. There's a quest within each one of us to seek what is ultimately true, ultimately good. To paraphrase St. Augustine: our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O God. Our ultimate purpose is to abide in God and God in us forever.
The word of God carries us back in our imaginations over three thousand years, to the first king of ancient Israel, Saul. He sets out to kill the charismatic David. Here David sneaks into Saul's campsite, and spares his life. David refuses to take revenge.
David may be challenging us to forgive wrongs done to us, to move forward with our lives.
Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth contrasts the first man or the so-called “Adam” with Jesus Christ. The first was a “living being,” the second a “life-giving spirit.” Yes, we now participate in God’s triune life by virtue of baptism, but not yet fully. Paul says once we were like the first man--corruptible, but we will be like Jesus Christ. Paul challenges us to live a godlike life.
In the Gospel, Jesus asks us to love our enemies. In the Greek text the word for love is agape. It indicates not a romantic or emotional love, but an unconditional love for our fellow human beings, wishing them only good.
Jesus here makes some radical demands upon us: Do to others as you would have them do to you. Love your enemies; if someone slaps you on one side of the face, offer the other; give to everyone who asks.
How can anyone practice these radical demands? A few people, for example Francis of Assisi or Dorothy Day or Mother Teresa, have tried to live these literally. For most people, they’re not practical. So, how understand these radical teachings?
First, you don’t have to like someone to love them. The love Jesus asks us to have means, no matter how badly we are wronged, we will never let bitterness close our hearts to certain people nor wish others anything but good. Agape recognizes the common humanity we all have – and that unconditional love begins with the recognition that we are all created in the image of God, no matter how shabby the appearances, and called to one destiny: to be like Go.
And that’s why Jesus connects our love of God with our love for one another. Matthew 25 says loudly and clearly: when I was hungry, when I was thirsty, etc. We can’t say we love God and yet neglect the image of God in our needy fellow human beings.
Second, these demands are linked to the mission of Jesus, who proclaimed that the kingdom of God is in our midst. You and I are living in-between the historical coming of Jesus and the final coming of Jesus in glory. We live in the tension betweenJesus indicates the goal of our ethical behavior may not always be achievable. For example, who can possibly give to everyone who asks. Yet the aim is to be generous with what we have: time, talents and treasure.
To the person who strikes you on one side of the face, Jesus says, offer the other as well. But sometimes we have to stand up against evil in self-defense.
Jesus here indicates the direction of our lives, that is, we should try to be peacemakers, healers, bridge builders, reconcilers.
And so, the teachings of Jesus create a tension between the present and final stages of the kingdom of God.
The genuine disciple of Jesus lives in this tension by seizing the opportunities to do good today. To quote John Wesley: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” Amen.
