Love is patient, love is kind. … Love never ends. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Lovingkindness and acting with selfless compassion toward others are virtues widely recognized and honored across world religions. But what does it look like in practice, and how can we more fully and consistently live this calling?
The world can seem like a really dark place at times. The evening news offers a constant drone of human inhumanity. Although this is nothing new, in the past few years, it just seems to be getting darker to me. Yet I know that even a small point of light disperses darkness. The most potent response to inhumanity is to live against it – to respond not in kind but in true opposition.
To live consistently in a loving and kind way is challenging enough with those whom we know and love. Christ challenges us to a higher calling – to extend lovingkindness to strangers and even to those who hold enmity toward us and those who have harmed us or would seek to do so.
People such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad, St. Teresa of Calcutta and countless other men and women have shown us ways to live compassionate lives that include making the world a better place for all. If there is a point at which people of faith can converge, it is by calling on each other to practice unconditional compassion.
In truth, lovingkindness is not something that we can perfect. It is more like a star that can guide our life journeys. It is a distant goal toward or away from which we move in the countless choices we make every day. It’s not always something we want to do (we are human, after all), yet it is something for which we all can strive.
We have the ideal mentor for lovingkindness – Christ! His life, His words, His actions and His teaching are our road maps. Catholics have a rich history of documenting social justice teaching that is catholic (universal).
What if we were willing to follow Christ and our Catholic social teaching in an as-if movement? Living as if in solidarity with others creates spaces for modelling how things could be beyond how things currently are.
So, what if we actually lived:
• As if people were to matter for who they are – rich in diversity, equal in dignity – instead of solely by immigration status, gender, social or economic class or political party?
• As if the meaning of living life were about making a difference for good in the world and not measured by someone’s wealth?
• As if every child were a gift at conception instead of a choice to be made?
• As if every person were an active participant in society because his or her wisdom was shared instead of listening only to those who agree with us?
• As if every conversation we have with someone were to build him or her up and promote peaceable living with all of our neighbors?
• As if everyone were able to share what is sufficient of the earth’s goods for themselves and their families instead of measuring how much is enough by standards of a virtual shopping mall?
• As if the earth were being cared for to benefit future generations instead of measuring the planet’s usefulness by competition among corporations?
I would invite you to explore being part of the as-if movement as you journey through Advent. God bless.