‘ZEAL is Love in
Action”…St. Mary Euphrasia
The Language of Love
I was born into an
Italian, Catholic Family. I was baptized
and taught to believe in all of the teachings held in the Scripture and the teachings
of my Church. This experience, among so many
others, shaped who I am and my system of values and beliefs. I am who I am. ‘Nuff said!
In this time in our
history I grow increasingly concerned with the polarization of religious
beliefs that express themselves with ruthless and reckless abandon. First off is the frightening labeling of
different religious beliefs, especially Islam as a threat to the world. The evil distortion of a beautiful religious
belief system by the few fundamentalists creates distance and bigotry where
none should exist. There is nothing new
under the sun as history has shown that zealous forcing of one’s religious
tradition over another has been the cause of multiple atrocities against the fellow
children of creation.
No, this is not a
dissertation on the political, social elements of terrorism and its awful
results. I want to talk about our
everyday language with one another. In
all the circles in which I walk, I hear more and more folks espousing their
religious connections with language that for me is ‘over the top’. “Amen bother, my saviour is the Lord
Jesus.” “Jehovah is the only name God
should be called-the bible proves it”.
“I am unconditionally Pro-Life, Capital Punishment is different.” “I know how much pain you have suffered, just
put that pain in the hands of God”. Some
even correct others small off-color words as against their religious
beliefs. It seems we (some) cannot reflect on our
spirituality unless we are telling others about our belief in God, Jesus,
Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, etc. etc.
Blah, Blah, Blah!
In our daily
encounters with one another what is it that matters most? In our gathering in groups of all sorts, what
is our fundamental purpose? In our
sharing of intimate information about our lives, what do we truly share? I believe we share that which is held in our
hearts. In all of this we simply walk
the journey of life together. We learn
from one another and we inspire hope and goodness in one another. Why? BECAUSE
we believe. We believe that this walk is
a demonstration of trust, respect, compassion and care. We believe that our responsibility to our
neighbor is what we are called to assume.
We believe that all persons are a part of creation and that every person
is a part of the Devine love that sparked this creation. So why do we need to remind one another of
our religious beliefs?
The language of
(God’s) love is found in action not
words. The language of love is found in
relationships that are healthy, empowering, inclusive, accepting and
respectful. The language of love is
about belonging one to another.
Some say, “Jesus is my Lord and
Saviour” I say, ‘SHOW ME’
Some say, “Without God, I can do
nothing” I say, ‘SHOW
ME’
Some say, “God loves you and
forgives you” I say ‘SHOW ME’
Some say, “If you do not tell
the world about
Jesus, using His name, you will
deny him.” He says, ‘SHOW ME’
When I encounter a
person whose need to tell me about their religious belief causes them to use so
much of this language, I feel distanced from them. I feel they think they are superior to
me. I feel they think that I am less of
a person because I do not speak their language.
I actually lose out on the opportunity to learn from others who make me
feel down a few steps on the ladder of faith.
Do we ever think about how our language, our choice of words, can impact
on others? Have we ever thought about
how our language can be the difference between belonging and alienation?
Everybody has their
story….Parts of that story are often filled with various degrees of sorrow and
pain. But it is our story. We all want to do good for others. We all
want to see the world change. Then we
realize that the greatest challenge for each of us is found not in how much we are able to remake this
world but in how able we are to remake ourselves. The language of love is spoken softly with
loud action. It is demonstrated in how
we look others in the eye. We SHOW others through our personal
presentation that screams respect, compassion and inclusivity. Every day, I need to stop, look myself in the
mirror and say….SHOW ME!
Over the centuries
people have sited the scripture passages of the Life experience of Jesus. He spoke often about integrity and exhorted
his followers to practice mercy discreetly and without fanfare. Only then will we be able to remove the log
from our own eye and see the splinter in the eye of our neighbor. He referred to these persons of fanfare and
self-righteousness as ‘hypocrites’. How
often can we truthfully say that we are like those ‘hypocrites’ and look to see
if something we say or do will lift us up in the eyes of others as if we are
more righteous or saintly than the next guy.
This off putting behaviour can be found everywhere except in those who
simply practice the language of love…just
do it, just show it, just be the
change we wish to see in the world without drawing attention to ourselves
or our image of righteousness and superiority.
Yes, we all have a story and do not need reminders from others of how “God
will see you thru this”; what we each need is the compassionate hand and heart
that knows that a truly human touch is the surest symbol of the Devine Love in
the world.
In organizations that
are labelled ‘faith-based’, what is that element that makes them distinct? That element is not so much in the holy words
or values they put on plaques but in the value driven behaviour and governance
of their organization…just doing it is what makes them distinct. This
distinctiveness will be demonstrated when their clients report how they experienced
respect, acceptance, compassion and when
they express a sense of belonging; then
they will know they are truly faith based without ever having to tell anyone
about it.
Reflection:
- · Remember a time when you met or knew someone who epitomized being a person of belief even though they said little about their religious beliefs unless asked. What made that person so remarkable? What did you admire most in her/him?
- · If I am a believer, how can I best show Devine Love (no matter how I name that) in the way I present myself with others, especially those I serve and those with whom I relate daily? Can I just be compassion? What might that look like?
- · Have I worked to sensitize myself about the feelings of others I meet? Do I know when they might be estranged from religion or Church? Do I invite discussion that reflects the sharing of our cherished values in order to come to know that person better? Can I adjust my tendency to share my religious beliefs in favour of showing my ‘call to compassion’ in action?
