The emotion 'hate' is strong aversion. It has its roots in fear. Hate and anger consume wisdom and perspective because the Self is threatened. And when threatened, the ego, just like any animal, chooses 'fight or flight'. Aggression is usually the behaviour one links to hate, either verbal or physical or both, either active or passive. Jesus warns his followers today that they will be hated for what they profess, for how their live their outward lives.
Two men are holding hands in front of us and the brain begins to jump about with learnt reactions, with impressed fears and negative associations. Hormones are released, emotions flair. Regardless of why those two men are holding hands (partners, men of another cultural background, father and son, whatever ...) aversion demands an action of us for it is a Self-protection mechanism. It is ones Self, ones identity, ones very being that is now threatened, or so the brain would have us believe. And the action? Passively, we might become grumpy or cynical, whisper words to our friends, a cruel joke, or worse, transmit all our learnt baggage to our children through our words and actions. Actively, we might call out those same cruel words, sharing our anger and fear with all who hear, or we might physically attack, as though our very lives are threatened by the behaviour of others. No wisdom. No love. Only a worldly message of hate and fear. Persecution.
As the Christ explains: If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you ... because they do not know the one who sent me (Jn 15:20, 21). If we try to know Jesus, we will get to know his Father. If we walk the Way, we will arrive at God. If we do these things, namely focus our mind on the message of Love and integrate Gospel wisdom into our daily, moment to moment, lives, then we shall truly be alive. However, this will cause separation. We will not be of the world, not be recognised as part of the human family tied to their fears, sharing their suffering of mind and body. We might be seen as standing aloof from them. Laughing, pointing and mocking is aggression. How can we not want a million, a huge house, not have to work, rock star fame, true freedom? The competitive society needs to make their neighbours losers. Scrambling to the top at all costs causes suffering. With indifference one neighbour uses cocaine for fun, even when he knows that the illegal drug trade costs thousands of lives and daily suffering from harvest, through production to delivery at his doorstep. 'It's all about me' is this Credo. The 'get rich quick' life-style knows no God of Love. The high of any drug offers only temporary escape, putting one right back at Go, only now weaker in every sense: financially, physically, mentally. These people of the world know aversion, especially to anyone or anything that threatens their way of life. If one doesn't 'fit in', he will be persecuted.
"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do", as Jesus said from the cross, is the greatest challenge any Christian can take up. Those of the world, tied to the pleasure and chained to the fears in their minds, do not know what they do. To those who know Love and cultivate it through wisdom and compassion, those of the world are insane, namely existing in a fantasy of dark dreams and fleeting illusions. Like countless saints, forgiving those of the world who persecute us is a demonstration of true love of neighbour.
Jesus warns us. However, mere knowledge of this will not be enough. One must practise love, fully integrate it, build upon it, be filled by it, be inspired by it. One must grow and grow and grow in love so that one has control over the fearful mind, the needy Self that uses well-honed tricks, doubts and fears to keep us down and on its leash. Standing firm, one can weather any storm the world might send. Vigilance. Tireless practise of falling down and standing back up. This Way of the Christ to God must consume our every motivation, our every act. Loving God and neighbour as ourselves cannot be mastered if it is not practise every moment: Sunday morning is not enough training for the mind to develop True Wisdom. When one has fully accepted that life requires a radical change of habits and perspective, then the learning can begin. Then we can let go. Then we can let the fears and aversions of a worldly life go. Then we can see life as it truly is ... and start living.
Deo gratias.
Two men are holding hands in front of us and the brain begins to jump about with learnt reactions, with impressed fears and negative associations. Hormones are released, emotions flair. Regardless of why those two men are holding hands (partners, men of another cultural background, father and son, whatever ...) aversion demands an action of us for it is a Self-protection mechanism. It is ones Self, ones identity, ones very being that is now threatened, or so the brain would have us believe. And the action? Passively, we might become grumpy or cynical, whisper words to our friends, a cruel joke, or worse, transmit all our learnt baggage to our children through our words and actions. Actively, we might call out those same cruel words, sharing our anger and fear with all who hear, or we might physically attack, as though our very lives are threatened by the behaviour of others. No wisdom. No love. Only a worldly message of hate and fear. Persecution.
As the Christ explains: If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you ... because they do not know the one who sent me (Jn 15:20, 21). If we try to know Jesus, we will get to know his Father. If we walk the Way, we will arrive at God. If we do these things, namely focus our mind on the message of Love and integrate Gospel wisdom into our daily, moment to moment, lives, then we shall truly be alive. However, this will cause separation. We will not be of the world, not be recognised as part of the human family tied to their fears, sharing their suffering of mind and body. We might be seen as standing aloof from them. Laughing, pointing and mocking is aggression. How can we not want a million, a huge house, not have to work, rock star fame, true freedom? The competitive society needs to make their neighbours losers. Scrambling to the top at all costs causes suffering. With indifference one neighbour uses cocaine for fun, even when he knows that the illegal drug trade costs thousands of lives and daily suffering from harvest, through production to delivery at his doorstep. 'It's all about me' is this Credo. The 'get rich quick' life-style knows no God of Love. The high of any drug offers only temporary escape, putting one right back at Go, only now weaker in every sense: financially, physically, mentally. These people of the world know aversion, especially to anyone or anything that threatens their way of life. If one doesn't 'fit in', he will be persecuted.
"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do", as Jesus said from the cross, is the greatest challenge any Christian can take up. Those of the world, tied to the pleasure and chained to the fears in their minds, do not know what they do. To those who know Love and cultivate it through wisdom and compassion, those of the world are insane, namely existing in a fantasy of dark dreams and fleeting illusions. Like countless saints, forgiving those of the world who persecute us is a demonstration of true love of neighbour.
Jesus warns us. However, mere knowledge of this will not be enough. One must practise love, fully integrate it, build upon it, be filled by it, be inspired by it. One must grow and grow and grow in love so that one has control over the fearful mind, the needy Self that uses well-honed tricks, doubts and fears to keep us down and on its leash. Standing firm, one can weather any storm the world might send. Vigilance. Tireless practise of falling down and standing back up. This Way of the Christ to God must consume our every motivation, our every act. Loving God and neighbour as ourselves cannot be mastered if it is not practise every moment: Sunday morning is not enough training for the mind to develop True Wisdom. When one has fully accepted that life requires a radical change of habits and perspective, then the learning can begin. Then we can let go. Then we can let the fears and aversions of a worldly life go. Then we can see life as it truly is ... and start living.
Deo gratias.
