The Heart of Matter: Love
February 15, 2022//
Tuesday, February 15th
“We can help heal this world and unify it in love, or we can destroy its inner unity by our resistance to evolve in love.”
—Ilia Delio, The Emergent Christ
“Podemos ayudar a sanar este mundo y a unificarlo en el amor, o podemos destruir su unidad íntima con nuestra resistencia a evolucionar en el amor.”
—Ilia Delio, The Emergent Christ
An Incarnational Practice: Loving
How can I increase my capacity for love? Day in and day out this week, we invite you to take this passage to heart and to hand. Notice all the ways and all the places where a little more love can bring some healing and unity in your life, the life of others and the life of our planet. This is a deliberate decision which, moment by moment, can transform the world.
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What is being revealed? What is being moved? What is being asked?
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I find the use of “Deliberate decision” in the context of love somewhat jarring. I query their use in the same sentence. Looking to quantum science for helpful vocabulary, I think of Heisinger’s “uncertainty”. How can we allow for that against the classical perfection of the Greek ‘agape’?
Just being aware of people, especially those close to you. Then making the extra effort to make their life richer.
I am grateful for this opportunity to be more aware of my capacity to love in concrete ways. And so, I enter into the healing movements of Shibashi, sending healing and peace out to the world; I take time with my plants, touching them and letting them know how precious and beautiful they are; I watch my language to avoid words of judgment, violence; I work to transform a Culture of War and Violence into a Culture of Justice and Peace. Most importantly, I begin my day recognizing my union with the Heart and Love of Christ so that all my activities and relating will flow from that Love.
Before enlightenment, “chop wood, carry water.” After enlightenment, continue to chop wood, carry water. What is always there are opportunities; to take risks, to have more courage, to do something for another person or group of people. The sneaky problem for me is that I want to do something for myself, like drink a cup of coffee and read the paper, first. And I get tired. Each of us has to find the rhythm of doing what we can. I love the song by Kris Williamson, “Shine like a star, do all you can, with what you have, in the place you are.” Burnout does happen. We need to pray deeper, to have more sustainable energy and also the wisdom to know what is the best thing to do to be of real help. We have learned that enabling is not helpful. We have learned that contemplative prayer is what helps most to not get burned out, so we have to make time for it. And we have to have time in nature, to help us remember cycles, resilience, basic rhythm of days and seasons. And to see the beauty, so we are not just being practical, but meeting the needs of the soul. And there is that wonderful insight that we are not supposed to save the world, Jesus did it. We are helpers, but we also can just admire the work that has been done, and give thanks and praise.
In Canada, we can see the choices of ego centric truckers and politicians and certainly lack of love. How to continue to love in the face of chaos, turmoil, and people taking sides with no rationale is the challenge for me and Thich Nhat Hanh has been so helpful . thanks for the challenge
As the oak is in the acorn, the answer is in the question: cease to be egocentric and become Christocentric. As light is to darkness, the latter is the sleeping but active partner of the former. The flip side of a record, like the flip side of the ego, often becomes the smash hit. Takes awhile for the recording artist to realize it. Same with ugly ducklings, underdogs and dark horses in sports, or understudies in plays — and why we like to cheer for them. Or like Cinderella, rising to place and prominence over her sharp-elbowed, ugly sisters. In the kingdom, the cream always rises to the top. Not so much in a divided, egocentric world, where nice guys often finish last, are persecuted, ignored, crucified, or assassinated. Fallen egoless on the battlefield, their sacrifice is paying for the future advance and victory of all.
I am aware that every day, every interaction with others, every thought about others, is an opportunity to choose love. I can choose the intention to love and be open, rather than to judge and react with unconscious learned behaviour. It is challenge enough for me most days to be aware and lean into this unifying love.