Loving

Love God with all your being, and love your neighbor as yourself – Jesus

May it please the Beloved that we never fail to love each other, because if we do we are lost – St Teresa of Avila

Love shows itself better through deeds than by words – St Ignatius of Loyola

Love one another, or you perish – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

If there were love of neighbor there would be no terrorism, no repression, no selfishness, none of such cruel inequalities in society, no abductions, no crimes – Archbishop Oscar Romero

Love decides everything – Pedro Arrupe, SJ

So much is written about love… probably because it is so much easier to write about it than to actually do it. I’m not discounting the words that are written about love; but it’s a bit disheartening to see how prevalent the lack of love is in so many places these days.

Let’s build a wall to keep them out of our yard, our subdivision, our seaside resort, our country so that we don’t have to deal with their needs. Let’s spend billions on war while the most vulnerable in our neighborhood, our cities and in our rural areas go without basic healthcare because it’s too expensive for them to pay for it. Let’s divide the world into them and us so we don’t have to deal with them. Let’s ignore how much we contribute to polluting the world so that we can keep the cost of consumer goods low. Let’s spend billions on researching and producing vanity drugs instead of finding cures for simple ailments that affect millions of people each year, people who can’t afford to pay for their cure. Let’s get caught up in our work and entertainment so that we don’t have time to be good parents, devoted spouses, and compassionate friends.

Let’s get caught up in satisfying ourselves instead of loving God and loving those around us. It’s so much easier, and it feels good… for a while, anyway.

Comments

[Talmida]

I'd never thought of it in exactly those terms, but you're right, Steve. I've heard that the absence of love is indifference, but perhaps the opposite of love is selfishness.

[Owen]

Well written Steve, thanks. Interestingly, today I posted the lyrics from a song by a favorite group of mine. The post is called WWJVF?

[Owen]

Ooops, sorry, forgot to note that the post I was mentioning is at luminousmiseries.ca not my art site to which my name is linked.

[Mary H.]

Powerful! Thanks, Steve.
This is a good examination of conscience.
Mary H.

[Steve Bogner]

Talmida, I've heard that too, the love/indifference comparison. But I think indifference is something totally different; it's more like detachment, making no preference from one thing to another. In Ignatian terms, indifference is used to describe being free to make choices that glorify God instead of feeding our selfishness.

Owen - Thanks! I went to luminousmiseries.ca but didn't find your WWJVF post?

Hi Mary! And, thanks. I didn't start out writing it as an examen, but I think it did turn into a decent one.

[Honora]

Exactly, exactly, exactly Steve. Well said. :-)

[Paula]

Steve, I could not have said it better.
I was talking with an economist some days ago about poverty in the world and what people must do about it.
He said that "the do-gooderism" (his expression which refers I think to usual charity and alms giving ) is not the solution and only "cold economics" can do something for world poverty.

I think he is wrong: economical solutions can eradicate the poverty for ever but they cannot be found, supported and implemented if people are not really compassionate.

[Steve Bogner]

Thanks Honora :)

Paula - Thanks to you too. I agree with you that both charity and economic solutions are needed - they each solve part of the problem, and are complementary.

[Owen]

"I went to luminousmiseries.ca but didn't find your WWJVF post?" Yes, I removed it. I just thought the way I worded things was possibly contentious. What I had to say wasn't. How I said was. When I know how to say it better, I'll say then. Sorry for the bother of the rabbit trail I sent you on.