Reclaim the spirit of love

"God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love" - 2 Timothy 1:7


Watching the news lately, it would be easy to succumb to fear. It's a natural first reaction when innocent people lose their lives so suddenly and violently.

As I watched the story from Paris and the reaction unfold, a sense of unease set it. All of this circle the wagons talk just didn't seem right -- or Christian. Then I remembered the above verse from 2 Timothy.

And this one from Matthew 6: "And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?"

And Isaiah 41:10, "Do not fear, for I am with you."

And for the pop culture philosophers out there, from Yoda himself: "Fear is the path to the dark side."

As the news keeps coming and borders tighten, fear seems the easier path. Fear of another attack. Fear of refugees. Fear of Muslims. We cannot give in to the hysteria of that fear. Fear is not of God. 

When we spread fear, we are playing the same game as the terrorists. Fr. Frederico Lombardi, Vatican Spokesman said it well in the National Catholic Reporter: "These murderers, possessed by a senseless hatred, are called ‘terrorists’ precisely because they want to spread terror. If we let ourselves be frightened, they will have already reached their first objective."

Instead, God asks us to be strong and to love. God's love is not schmaltzy or weak. He didn't give us the spirit of doormats. God's love means we look at each other as created in his image. Gods love, when reflected in us, has the power to change even the most difficult situations. 

Our town is home to a number of refugee families from the Middle East. My contact with them has been limited, but I can offer two images:

One is a man in my German class. He is intelligent, friendly and hard working. He is often one of the first ones to answer questions and reminds everyone to speak in German instead of their native language. He knows he will have to learn the language to work and create a better life.

Another are the people we walk past each Sunday on our way to Mass. One or two will kneel on the hard cobblestones with a hat upturned. Their posture is striking and makes the passerby physically uncomfortable. A coin in the hat brings a smile, thankful they are closer to the necessities they need and perhaps just thankful someone saw them as human.

Neither case prompts any sense of fear. I am more likely to admire their courage and feel pain at their need. 

Understanding that pain and finding solutions for people in need is hard. Spotting the different among us and cultivating fear is easy. May we have the courage to do the hard thing and create a spirit of love.

Celebrating soldiers

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11

As Americans and especially as a military family, today we celebrate Veterans Day. We honor the men and women who have committed their lives for the ideals of our country: freedom, justice, hope.

Until this year, I never made the connection that Veterans Day also falls on the feast of St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of soldiers. St. Martin is huge in Germany for reasons I haven't figured out yet. But  tonight we will gather in the town square, where children will hold up paper lanterns they made in school and we will process singing songs about this man who lived more than 1500 years ago. At the end of the procession, a local man dressed as St. Martin will come and tell the community the story of the soldier turned bishop.

Martin was an officer in the Roman army. The most famous anecdote begins on a cold winter night in France. St. Martin saw a beggar shivering in the elements on the side of the road. He stopped his horse and cut his cloak in two, giving half of it to the man. He likely would have given all of it, but half belonged to Rome. That night Martin had a dream that Jesus was wearing the cloak.

St. Martin is everything a military officer should be. He is a humble servant of his greatest ideals. He encourages and serves those in lower rank. One story says Martin would regularly clean the boots of the servant assigned to him. He fights and speaks out on behalf of those most vulnerable.

I have had the privilege of knowing many such officers in our Air Force, and am proud to count my husband among them. So today, I pray through the intercession of St. Martin for all of our men and women in uniform that they remember their oath to serve our country and always those in most need.