Sunday, 5/19/19 – What Kind of World Would It Be?

I heard a story the other day. It was about a little girl who was being bullied by another girl. This had been going on for much of the school year, and naturally, the girl being bullied was upset about it. So many times, we tell our kids to fight back. Stand up to the bully and they will stop picking on you. Be strong, don’t be weak. Push back.

But what did this little girl do? She started talking to the bully, trying to be her friend. She asked her mom if they could give the bully’s address to their church so they could contact their family, and then she invited the girl bullying her to go to church with her. I don’t know how this story ends. But I don’t need to know because the example has already been set. The lesson has already been taught.

Rather than fighting fire with fire, fist with fist, an eye for an eye – this little girl fought back with love. She talked to her bully. She genuinely cared about her, regardless of how she was being treated, she knew that it wasn’t about the bully not liking her – it was about the bully not liking herself and trying to fill that void with whatever means necessary, in this case, by picking on someone seen as more vulnerable. This little girl loved her bully enough to know that what she needed was Jesus in her heart.

This little girl was the witness of what it means to be Christian – and live the new commandment that Jesus gives us in todays Gospel – to love one another. She is truly being a disciple of Christ in that she loves not only those close to her, but she loved her enemy as well. She loved her enough to be nice and try to be her friend, and try to introduce her to Jesus and the grace that He provides.

I was simply blown away by this. If only we all could live like this. If only we all could love one another like this. This little girl turned her suffering into something good. She turned her suffering into an opportunity to take someone else’s life, someone who may be struggling much more than her, someone who was lashing out at her, and she simply tried to love her in the midst of all of that and use her suffering as an opportunity to bring her bully into a relationship with Jesus.

Out of the mouth of babes… If only we were all so wise.

This is our challenge resulting from today’s readings. It is so simple. I often think Christians, and especially Catholics think too much. Don’t get me wrong, there is so much depth and meaning in scripture and in our faith and the Magisterium of our Church. And we need theologians and clergy and scholars who are much smarter than I to decipher it all and translate its’ meaning. But I often think we think about stuff and analyze and contemplate things too much. Too much sometimes that we don’t just act. I think many times, we get in our own way. We may read the readings, and of course, there may be two or three or four or more different meanings we can take from them on any given day. But I think most times, it is so simple.

And today, this is our very challenge. The Gospel reading is short. And the main message is this – “Love one another.” That’s it! Jesus had just been betrayed by Judas, and what was His next lesson? It wasn’t “go get him! Stop him!” It wasn’t revenge and taking up arms. Nope… It was, “love one another.”

Yes, this includes our enemies.

Jesus surely loved Judas. And when He was betrayed, it must have pierced His very soul. But He never stopped loving Him. This is our challenge – to be like Christ. We must love one another, as Christ did. Even those who betray us, and persecute us.

I admit, I don’t know how to do this very well. I could play a tough game and write that we all should love our enemies and how we should treat those closest to us. But I admit – I have a hard time loving some people who are not nice to me, who attack me, who persecute others, those who commit evils and atrocities. Or how can I love the person who cuts me off in traffic nearly causing a multi-car pileup, or almost runs me over in the crosswalk when I have the right of way. Even those closer to me – how can I love them despite certain behaviors and actions and mistakes?

But Jesus tells us we need to love each other – period. We must take all that into account, all the shortcomings and imperfections, and love them anyway. We must love those in this world that commit evils, and pray that they see the light and change their ways, and pray for their souls, and love them anyway, for they know not what they do.

For many years, I’ve often wondered and asked God how can I do this? How can I love those that wrong me, and commit unthinkable evil, and treat others wrongly?

How do I do what Jesus is telling us to do today in the Gospel? We’ve become so hard and coarse in todays world, and when I see things like this, I want them to be punished. When tragedies happen to the seemingly innocent, I want an eye for an eye.

How can I love those who persecute? Those who attack? Those who hate?

I received part of the answer in a homily from our pastor a while back. When he asked himself this question, and he realized that he could not. He could not love others – everyone – on his own. He alone could not love one another equally by his sheer will; let alone those who persecute others. Only God could give him the grace to do so.

But again, how? Then I heard the story of the little girl. She took a situation that is all too common in todays world, one that causes so much heartache and sadness and despair, so much that suicide is a common result, and she flipped it around. She did as Christ would have done, and she proved to me that it can be done. Rather than fighting her suffering with more suffering – she reached out.

She used her problem, her situation, for something better. Of course she wanted to stop being bullied, but she realized that this person needed something in their life, and that Jesus was the only way. She used her suffering for something good, and she showed her faith and her integrity. As the first reading states today in Acts of the Apostles, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

It’s not so much about the hardships – we all have them – at varying levels.

It’s about how we respond. It’s about how we respond to adversity, and to those who wrong us and persecute us and those around us.

The little girl knows. She knows, as John wrote in Revelations, that God will be with us and will wipe away our every tear.

It’s so easy to talk about our faith and loving others when things are going our way, or are happening from a distance. But when you’re living day to day in inner-city Indianapolis or New York, or rural Appalachia in the eastern U.S., or needing food in Haiti, or being persecuted for your faith and who you are in Europe or Africa – how do you find the love?

When your marriage is failing, or you’re having troubles at work with your boss or co-workers – how do you find the love? In a world of instant pleasure and gratification and conveniences, how do you find the love for simplicity and sacrifice and humility? In a world of anger – how do you find the love and peace in it all?

The answer is not complex. It is so simple. We think too much. All the little girl did is talk. She tried to become friends with her bully and talk to her. She invited her to get to know Jesus. She was Christ-like amidst her adversity. I don’t know how this story ends. I don’t know if the bully went to church, or if she is ever going to, or if the bullying stopped. But maybe, just maybe, the love the bully received from the little girl made her think enough for her to change how she treats others.

This is our duty as Christians, as witnesses of His love and mercy. We cannot hate – we must love and respect one another. Our duty as Catholics is to live out this Gospel best we can, and share the graces we are given through the Church, the best we can. It’s our duty to take the lemons we’re given in life, and turn them into some kind of lemonade, even if it’s only for others.

We as Catholics need to be Catholic. I think sometimes we forget what that means. We need to be all-embracing, and universal in our love and respect for others. And that love may simply be a prayer, an act of kindness, or an invitation to someone. This is what Catholic means. All-encompassing. All-inclusive. It’s so hard to do this in today’s world. But people like this little girl show me that it’s possible.

If we all did a little more of this, if we just loved one another – what kind of a world would it be?

The readings for Mass today

About the Author

My name is Joe LaCombe, and I am a Software Developer in Fishers, Indiana in the USA. My wife Kristy and I have been married for 19 years and we have an awesome boy, Joseph, who is in 5th Grade! We are members of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Carmel, Indiana where we volunteer with various adult faith ministries. I love writing, and spending time with my family out in the nature that God created, and contemplating His wonders. I find a special connection with God in the silence and little things of everyday life, and I love sharing those experiences with all of you.

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14 Comments

  1. Thank you, Joseph. This certainly is a great reminder that I need to hear everyday . Living as a Catholic.
    (Quyana [Thank you] for your prayers!)
    Adore Jesus!!!

  2. Thanks for sharing, Joseph. This is inspiring because Eventhough it is seemingly impossible to do, Christ helping us we can achieve loving our worst enemies if we keep taking it to God in prayers.

  3. Wonderful Joe. I thank God for your life and the grace to live a life worthy of His name.

  4. Thank you so much Joe Lacombe. I am inspired with what you are doing. I am blessed with your reflection. Keep up the good works

  5. I have three grand daughters sleeping over and we went to Mass last night after which much good discussion ensued. They are 5,7 and 9. This morning during breakfast I am going to read them the first two paragraphs of your reflection, Joe. What do you bet that we are going to have some more good discussion?
    Thanks for springboard topic!

  6. Your piece really gets to the heart of the matter of being Christian, clear, no holds barred: the ultimate thing we need to do (love our neighbour) and the ultimate challenge (loving neighbours who aren’t nice to you). Jesus calls on us to “be perfect”. To achieve perfection in anything in life requires constant effort, commitment, sacrifice, humility. “Loving our neighbour” no matter what is the effort, commitment, sacrifice, humility we need to deploy in the task of becoming perfect.

  7. Too much Joe…But I often think we think about stuff and analyze and contemplate things too much. Too much sometimes that we don’t just act. I think many times, we get in our own way. We may read the readings, and of course, there may be two or three or four or more different meanings we can take from them on any given day. But I think most times, it is so simple.

  8. Great message for all of us. The simplest act from a young girl teaches and reminds us of the most basic christian principle. Being Catholic is one thing. Putting it all to work is another. Thank you Joe

  9. Thank you Joe! Your reflection blessed me. I was bullied as a little girl and wish I would have responded this way. Instead it hurt my feelings, my confidence, it embarrassed me, and later on I bullied someone else. It’s a dangerous cycle that happens all too often.
    Praying now for my grandchildren, that they will have the heart of Jesus to fight back with love. ❤️

  10. Joe, thank you. Just met with some friends yesterday. One friend who I don’t see anymore on a regular basis made some subtle verbal attacks. I at least had the grace (thanks to God) not to respond but thought to myself “I’m going to make a point not to spend time with her in any way”. After reading your reflection I know she needs prayers (add we’r all do) and my friendship love. Thank you for helping to open my eyes.

  11. I *would* like to know how the story ends. Is she still being bullied? As someone who was previously bullied, I struggle with how to teach my kids to stand up for themselves and how to reconcile it with Christian teaching. The best advice I got from my family was to hit a guy that had been bullying me. I even got specific advice as to where to hit him (on the nose, so it would hurt). Guess when the bullying finally stopped? So as much as I’m not in support of violence, I kind of am. I don’t want my kids to be bullied for as long as I was. Wherever I went, and we moved a lot, I was bullied. I didn’t have my great-uncle to give me the hitting advice earlier, but when I had him around, that’s the advice that worked. Worst advice: ignore it. Let it roll off your back like a duck.

  12. Joe, the title of your reflection “What kind of world would it be? Very catchy, caught my attention. I have often had that thought. I have tried to imagine a world without wars, strife of varying degrees from bullying to shooting people in religious houses.

    A former boss would say to me when I complained about a co-worker “if we lived in a perfect world …!”. Jesus didn’t live in a perfect world and neither do we. Yes, our first reaction when betrayed is to do something about the problem we are facing. We don’t immediately think – let’s be kind, courteous, don’t strike back. As a 72 year old, I can tell you it has taken me years to learn not to react. This same former boss once said to me that whenever this particular co-worker irritated me I let her “get her hook into me and I tugged”. Those words stuck with me for the rest of my working days. As a Christian in the Catholic church, I listened to homilies on ‘love your neighbour as yourself’, ‘love others as I have loved you’. I am in the twilight of my life and it is still difficult to do. The story about the little girl is heartwarming. If every single person in the world had learned at that early age to respond as that little girl – what a wonderful world that would be? WOW, what kind of world would that be?

    It is a long weekend in Canada where we are celebrating Victoria Day. Blessings to all. Have a great weekend, long or short.

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