Loving Others

Today I felt pretty mopey as I sat cooped up putting together a presentation for work. Jon dragged me out of the house insisting that a walk would be good-- fresh air and such. We walked to this little park down the street from his house. As we walked down the path and up the hill we saw what looked like a small cemetery. We stooped down to read the inscriptions on the grave stones. 

“He always loved his neighbor.” 

“She was pure of heart.”

“He loved others better than he loved himself.” 

As I reflected on these words-- the words left in the memory of these lives gone by-- I couldn't help but ponder what I will be remembered by. I thought it was pretty cool that all of these inscriptions described how these people treated others. None of the stones remarked about how much money the people had, or the job title they held. “He drove the best car” “He published a paper in Nature” “She had the best hair and nicest skin”. 

Beyond the quotes I mentioned above, stones often state that the person was the “wife of…” or a “beloved son”, or even a “wife, sister, and friend”. These all reflect on the relations that the deceased had with those around them. This translates to how they interacted with others and the impact they had on the lives around them. 

I think these days it is easy to get sucked into ourselves and always focus on self improvement. There are so many things around us that point us inward and make that the most important thing in our minds. Now I’m not saying that introspection is a bad thing because I think that there is a need for time to look within for sure. I am certainly not bashing people who drive nice cars, have published in big journals or have beautiful skin and hair. And if you desire to do one of those things, then you get it! But I want us to think about the amount of value we place on these things. Do we act as if they are life defining? 

Jesus teaches us that we must move beyond self centeredness and into an “other centered” mindset. He calls us to love the lost and the least (he ate with sinners, tax collectors, outcasts). He asks us to clothe the naked and feed the hungry. Our neighbors are people we are commissioned to care about and minister to. Beyond that we are called to go farther than just our neighbor and love those who are hardest to love and those who can’t do good things for us in return (look at the good Samaritan).  We are called to be God’s hands and feet on earth. 

If we focus on the inscription that reads “She was pure of heart”, we are pointed to Matthew 5:8. Expanding this a bit further, we see that this verse is situated in the middle of the Beatitudes. Verses 7 through 9 are where I want to specifically focus:

 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the [pure] of heart, for they will see the kingdom of God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 

The blessings we receive are given based on how we treat others. We are given mercy in the measure with which we give mercy. If we have a pure heart that is open to loving others, then we will see the kingdom of God- the dwelling place of the one who is love himself. We are rewarded with the title of child of God if we actively seek to make the lives of the people around us more peaceful. These statements on how to be indicate that Jesus cares most about our heart and specifically our heart for others. 

We turn now to the old testament- Isaiah 16. God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah to his people, the Isrealites, about how they should treat the Moabites. The most important part is that the Isrealites and the Moabites had a strained relationship and didn’t get along.Yet, he says to “offer counsel, take their part...Hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitives. Let the outcasts of Moab live with you, be their shelter from the destroyer” (Isaiah 16:3-4). That is a tall order for God to give. The Isrealites are supposed to risk their lives to hide the fugitives and open their homes as a shelter for these people with which they do not get along? What we begin to see is that since around 750 BC, the message has been the same. Treat everyone around you with care and compassion and more mercy than they deserve. 

I think especially during this time of being quarantined, it is important to not just focus on yourself, your worries and your needs. It can be easy to let your problems feel like the most important, but God’s instruction does not change because of an illness. I think that maybe it is even more important now. 

Maybe this week take one small step in the direction of loving others. Pick one definitive action of service to begin to move your mind away from self. When we give of ourselves in this way, our heart becomes pure and that is where we find Jesus and joy.  I know that being stuck at home can make us feel like we can’t do this right now, but there is something very simple that you can ALWAYS do- pray. You can pray for a person that you know needs it. You can reach out to a friend or an older relative. I’m sure your mom and dad would love to hear your voice.  

I hope that you take a moment to think about your relationship with those around you. How do you positively influence the lives of the other people you come in contact with? What does that say about who you are? What do you place importance on in this life? How will you be remembered? How will these answers change the way you live now and in the future? I hope that it does not take us until the gravestone is on our horizon to realize what matters most. 

Lord, 

Please open our eyes to what matters most. I ask that you would help me to focus less on myself and more on the people around me. May you help me to see the true meaning of the days you have given me and help me to choose to love my neighbor each day. 

Amen 

PS: This time can be scary, but one way to focus on the goodness of God instead of the scariness of sickness is praying. There are a lot of people who are dying and praying the divine mercy chaplet for the souls is a great way to help us to focus on God’s mercy and love during this time instead of the sad things. I will attach it here and I promise it will only take a few minutes and will greatly impact those souls. 

And remember, this may feel like a hard time, but if there is anything that the cross and Easter teaches us, it is that death and darkness do not have the final say. There is a resurrection for every crucifixion. The Lord and his light and his goodness will have the final word over this pandemic. Light and life has already won.