Reflection
Rules and regulations – annoying pronouncements imposed by others that keep us from doing whatever we please! In a world populated by millions of self-interested people, rules and regulations are necessary for the welfare and safety of us all. Sometimes, however, they are so numerous and detailed that they become burdensome.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus manages to address all of these needs with one rule. “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” (John 15: 12) Jesus is speaking of agape love – that selfless, unconditional love that prioritizes the well-being of others. In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls it the greatest of the virtues.
This one commandment addresses the intent of all the original ten. Anyone who truly embraces it would naturally refrain from lying, deceiving, cheating, harming or injuring others. If everyone embraced it, imagine how many of society’s rules and laws would be unnecessary!
I find this one commandment, however, more difficult to follow than any of the original ten. It requires a reordering of my ideas and activities, from self-directed to other-directed. I might be able to do this for my friends and family, since they are generally a decent lot.
But, as Jesus pointed out, “If you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” -Matthew 5:47-48
How can I develop this agape toward those outside my inner circle, especially when many of them appear unappealing, unpleasant or hostile? As I ruminated on this question, I came across this post on a friend’s Facebook page.
There’s a term I can’t remember that means “to realize every random person is a fully formed person and not just someone who exists when you’re near them.” … I remember driving around and seeing the other people in their cars behind the glass. … I had a hard time thinking of every single random person that I passed as a complete human with their own full story. But I stopped and literally looked around and saw all the people milling about. So many people. So many thoughts and stories that I would never know.
Maybe this is a good place to start. The stranger who is hungry, unhoused, unwell or otherwise troubled is more than just a passing moment in my life. They have a complete story of their own and are every bit a child of God!
