Dec 17, 2015

 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love (2)

“…the opposite of love is not hate—

it’s apathy. It’s not giving a damn.

If somebody hates me, they must ‘feel’

Something…or they couldn’t possibly hate.

Therefore, there’s some way I can get to them.”

                                           Leo Buscaglia

We are continuing our discussion on the line of the Prayer of St. Francis that tells how we are to face anger and hatred with the Face of God.

Love has the power to overcome hatred, simply by being Love. Love accepts the other person, just as they are, dirt and mud and fear and all; just as they are, right now. Love has a force that defeats all hatred, since it just IS, and does not require an explanation, modification, or justification. Love comes from the innermost part of our being; that part that is the Image of God.

And above all, to love or to hate boils down to a choice; and as a choice we can always choose again. That is why it is possible to move someone who has hatred for you or another to a point where Love moves the boundary and changes the dynamics of the situation.

Love is a Choice

Yes, to love or not to love is a choice we make. Despite all the feelings of anger and fear we have at a given moment, we can choose to love. I am not saying it is easy; but it is possible, as shown by Jesus on the cross. We do have that same potential of loving that Jesus had, as he forgave from his human heart, understanding that was how humanity existed at that time in history.

We can choose to love another despite all that they have done. We can choose to love another even if they are about to kill us, as Jesus did. We can choose to love another even when they have committed crimes of unspeakable nature, such as what happened in South Africa with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (RSC) where those that had tortured and killed thousands of Blacks were forgiven by the families of those they had killed. Forgiveness is a powerful form of Love, and that love given and received forged a new country without the blood bath that had been accepted as part of the coming into freedom for the Blacks of that nation.

Love is a Choice; the Choice of the Image of God that lies within us. We hone that choice by choosing love in everyday situations that confront us, choosing not to respond with anger or fear when we seem to be attacked. We hone the choice of fear when we choose to grow angry with someone who cuts us off in traffic. We hone the choice of Love when we choose to respond to someone who makes an offensive remark and we choose to ignore or just correct it with a smile.

For to respond to pain and fear with love requires us to grow in that attitude so that when the real test comes we will have presence of mind to respond with Love and not anger or fear.

A person can respond to the tyrannical forces in this world with Love or with Fear. That is the only choice. The outward actions of stopping the brutality may seem the same, but the internal actions within us are vastly different. To truly love another means that we stop them from injuring themselves and others. That is Love. To stop them does mean that we sometimes have to resort to violence, for that is the only way to stop violence; but the violence can be restrained and limited to those who are committing the violence against others, and not blaming all who have some loose connection the ones committing the violence to needless violence.

Yes, we can face hatred with Love, and we will succeed in the end. Love always, always, comes out the winner.

“Hatred does not cease by hatred,

but by love;

this is the eternal rule.”

                             Gautama Buddha

Questions to Ponder

Can you reflect on some action where you could have responded differently, showing love, where you failed to do so? How do you think the encounter could have proceeded if you had done so?

Meditation

“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.”

If this meditation post has been helpful, I would appreciate it if you would pass it on or share it.