Love in the gospels is not a warm,
fuzzy feeling…it is action. All peoples can DO love…People of all
faiths and no faiths…atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, pagans, Christians, Jews,
etc.…if you are human and have a healthy mind…you can love.
Jesus said
the two greatest commandments were: “Love
your God with all your heart…” and “love your neighbors as yourself.”[1]
In a letter
to an early church, we find “How can we say we love God when we do not love our
brother [and sister]?”[2]
Love is
action.
Love is forgiving
those who hurt us, praying for our enemies, giving freely, feeding the hungry,
visiting the imprisoned, welcoming the stranger, and even giving your life for
others…actions.
Love is NOT taking revenge on those who
hurt us, bombing our enemies, taking from others so we have more, slurring the
poor and those different from us, disenfranchising others, putting more and
more people in jail, building border walls, and taking others’ lives to protect
our own…
“If you say you love God but hate your brothers and sisters you are a
liar.”[3]
Some say tolerance is what we need, and tolerance is definitely a step forward. But doing
love…doing what is right for the least of these, for others…well, we all can do that.
If we did, our world would grow and
flourish. All would have hope. Nations would be at peace. And just imagine the joy that would abound.
Doing love
is what we need as a species to survive…as humanity.
-Kathleen
