
01/26/2025
We’ve been looking at change and last week we learned how love inspires change. I want to continue on the path of love, since love is the most powerful virtue or characteristic we receive from God. God loves us unconditionally, and we are created to spread love, kindness, and compassion throughout the world.
In a world filled with challenges, misunderstandings, and conflicts, it can be difficult to love unconditionally. Yet, this is precisely what we are called to do. Love is not just a feeling; it is a choice, as we discussed in the past. It is an action, a commitment, and an intention.
In this diverse world of 8.2 billion children of God, we come from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. As a human being it is easy to focus on what divides us, all our differences. But we are more than these bodies; we are of Spirit. John 4:24 tells us that “God is Spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” We are created in God’s image, as spiritual beings, and are told that God is Love, and love calls us to look beyond all differences.
In Mark 12:29-31 we are told, “The most important commandment is this: The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” This means embracing others with compassion and understanding, regardless of our differences.
I recently saw a video of Keanu Reeves engaging in conversation with an arrogant businessman. The businessman was dressed in a sharp suit and Mr. Reeves was casually dressed. The man made snarky, judgmental statements to Keanu. Eventually, the man learns Keanu’s identity, a highly successful man in his own right, far surpassing any wealth the businessman had. Mr. Reeves, who remained serene throughout the egotistical onslaught concluded the discussion with, “In the end, what matters most is not how much you accumulate, but how you treat people.”
People are going to judge us, treat us poorly, try to control us, bend our will to theirs, and tell us how wrong we are ... and our commandment is to love anyway. Not to react combatively, defend ourselves, and get angry, but to love.
Romans 12:214-18 describes what this looks like in real life, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” In other words, no matter what, love anyway.
To live in harmony begins with our thoughts, words, and actions demonstrating unity and oneness. To live in peace begins with us being peaceful. We cannot rely on someone else to start the process of goodness. We must begin it.
We must be the vessel, the instrument through which Christ impacts the world. St. Francis of Asissi wrote a beautiful poem that expresses this call to action, inviting us to become vessels of divine love and to make a positive impact on those around us. It is entitled:
Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
This prayer is a request to be transformed and guided by God's love so that we can, in turn, share that love with others, so that we can be love when someone needs it. This prayer reminds us that love is not just a feeling but a powerful force that can bring healing, reconciliation, and peace.
When people are angry, that is a symptom that they need love. When they are judgmental, they need love. No matter the pain and hurt someone exhibits, the answer is to love anyway.
To become an instrument of God's love, we must first open our hearts, look within and acknowledge its presence. In 1 John 4:16, we read, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” By cultivating a deep and personal relationship with God, we allow His love to flow through us and touch the lives of others.
Love is best expressed through our actions. “Christ has no body now but yours,” writes St. Teresa of Avila. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus teaches us that when we care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, we are serving Him. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, is an opportunity to be an instrument of God's love. As Keanu Reeves said, “What matters most is how we treat others,” so let us strive to be compassionate, generous, and selfless in our daily lives.
Living this way, thinking this way, is not always easy. But it is simple; it is a decision. To love is a choice. Again, in Romans 12:21 we are coached, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” By choosing to love in the face of adversity, we can transform negative situations and bring light into darkness.
When we become instruments of God's love, our actions create a ripple effect that extends far beyond our immediate circumstances. In Galatians 6:9, we are reminded, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Our efforts to spread love can inspire others to do the same, creating a chain reaction of kindness and our combined instruments form a symphony of compassion.
As we have learned, true love is selfless and does not seek anything in return. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, we are told that love is patient, kind, and keeps no record of wrongs. When we love without expectation, we reflect the pure and unconditional love that God has for us. We become the instrument through which God plays love into Creation, the conduit that carries Divine compassion into the hearts of others.
It all begins by expressing the love that we are. As we spend time in prayer, and we steady our thoughts on Spirit, we are temporarily transformed. This transformation becomes permanent when our minds are kept on God. There is much to be gained from spending time attuned to Christ in prayer, but sometime even more valuable is what we lose through prayer: anger, ego, greed, depression, fear, insecurity, and judgment.
It is my prayer that despite what the world tells us and shows us, we love anyway. We can whistle in the dark and hope that things will get better, or we can know that we are an instrument of God, an asset to God’s plans, worthy, valuable, useful, significant, and part of God’s vast orchestra of Love.
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