Homebound
May 25, 2011
The journey’s over now, and I’m on the BA flight back to Port of Spain. I’ve got a certificate that names me a Jerusalem Pilgrim, “one who has, in accordance with the Biblical prophecy, gone up to Jerusalem to receive the blessing.”
Perhaps it’s that, but for the first time ever I went through airport security (in Tel Aviv, world’s notoriously most secure airport) and did NOT beep or have to undergo secondary search. Normally I get the pat down and “Could you please step over here, ma’am? Would you mind removing your shirt?” etc, but not here. X-ray of the bags, couple of questions on my Jordanian ceramics, and off I went.
I had time for several deep thoughts on the flight back, and before that. Plus, I had some long conversations with both Frs. Donovan and Brennan. Fr. Leo has been a dear friend for a really long time; over 25 years. More than ever, in the past 2 weeks, it has struck home that he is a very good man. He is one of the few people I know who sees the essential goodness and kindness in people, and is usually rewarded for it. Fr. Patrick was the one who had baptized me as a tiny infant of a month old. He has sung on Broadway, and he has a very dry sense of humour, but for all that has a deep love of humanity. They’re both good friends and are Dominicans. (Domini canes – Hounds of the Lord.)
Both of them reinforced a sense in me of something that I have always believed. That to live Christian values does not mean to be constantly repeating Bible verses or reminding people how much they have sinned. It is to show people how much they are loved, and to love. It is to find joy in life, in living and in sharing the everyday pleasure of being alive. By loving each other, we demonstrate God’s love for us. Simple. If we don’t know love, we can’t know God. If we don’t show love, we don’t show God to each other. How complicated is that?
This doesn’t mean always hugging people or always praising them or anything so shallow. Love means work. It means having to correct those who stray; having to say to someone “You are not doing the right things,” or “Your behaviour is going to cause hurt to others.” That means having to build trust and ensuring that there can be communication between the parties involved. It means providing a safe place for people to know that they will be able to say “I screwed up. I need a hug. Help me fix this.” Or to be able to come in and say “I done good! Let’s go out and party!” It means, effectively, creating homes for people. That’s what the core of the Church’s message is. This is supposed to be a home for us, where we can listen to God.
It’s only by loving others that you can learn to love God. Religion has become a dirty word for so many people because they see it as “empty ritual” or “meaningless prayers.” Again, it becomes what one brings to it. I found that hearing again the words of love made a huge difference – the Sermon on the Mount, for instance. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall see God. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” None of them are for the weak or the faint of heart.
It takes a lot of courage, honesty and compassion to love. Because to be able to love, you have to be able to share yourself. And that requires having a self to share. If there’s no depth to the person, they can’t love.
Heart. It’s at the core of all things, and of all religions. Man looks at appearances, God sees the heart. Not the physical heart, of course. But the core of ourselves; the essence of who we are. This is how God speaks to and through us. If we have loving hearts, then we will do miracles. We can see angels and wonders and all of heaven open before us on earth. People will know that there is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and all the greatness that exists in the world. And goodness comes back. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be difficulties, but there will always be help and there will always be those to share the difficulties and hands to lighten the load.
In the old Egyptian religion, there was a belief that when you died, your soul was weighed in a balance against a feather. If it were lighter than the feather, you were allowed entry into paradise – you had no great sin in your heart. If not, if you had not lived a good life, your heart would be eaten by the Ahm-Ahm, and you would be denied eternal life and your hope of rebirth. Almost everyone gained paradise, except those who lived lives of greed, hatred and deceit. I believe, and this is the promise of our gospels, that we all have the hope of paradise before us also. Only those of us who close our lives off to love will face “the darkness and the fire that never goes out, where there is weeping and grinding of teeth.” (And have you ever heard a better description of bitterness and regret?)
My conclusion is, therefore, that loving people – our family, our friends – is how we become the God-like people we’re supposed to be. Not original. Not earth-breaking. And that we link our religion into our daily life by being mindful of the wonder of creation in everything we do and say. It really doesn’t matter what one’s religious beliefs are: God is love. And love is all there is.
My resolution, therefore, is to find some new thing everyday to rejoice in, and to tell at least one person that they are special. (If sushi-is-wonderful day rolls around more than twice a week, I can’t help that!) Spread the love!
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