But
I say to you that listen, 'Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.'
– Jesus, Luke 6:27-28
There
is no shortage of distressing news making the rounds. Not only
distressing news, but news that elevates tension and anxiety. And it
is not only the news that elevates tension and anxiety, but any
number of responses to any number of stories regarding any number of
positions.
Whether
it's the debate over whether or not football players should stand for
the national anthem, or whether the focus is on the president's
numerous twitter posts, or whether the focus is on national
healthcare, or whether the focus is on any number of other issues,
comments, opinions, and replies have been . . . well . . . less than
charitable.
What
has been particularly distressing for me has been to hear or read any
number of comments from Christians formed with invective, spiteful,
derogatory, or simply hateful speech.
We
live in a political world. Living together as a community –
whether as a nation, municipality, parish, or family – is
political. At its core, politics is nothing more than how we live
together. To paraphrase Jesus, “When two or three are gathered
together, you will have politics.”
And
when you have two or three or more gathered together, there will be a
variety of opinions. Some of which you will agree and some of which
you will disagree.
We
don't always have to agree with each other. I still love my wife and
remain in a relationship with her despite our many disagreements over
the years.
But
as Christians we must do better in our disagreements. We must not
allow ourselves to devolve into spewing forth the rage and hatred
toward those with whom we disagree. As Christians we must
continually strive to follow not only in the steps of Christ, but in
how he spoke to his enemies and those who hated him. We must work to
love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse
us, and pray for those who abuse us.
In
your comments, in your tweets, in your Facebook posts, are you
emulating Christ, or are you allowing rage to rule your tongue?
Blessings,
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