Mark Wenz, Unity Church of Sun Lakes
In Mark’s gospel, Jesus entreats us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Will we choose to follow Christ’s path of love, or will we default to embracing grievances, judgments, and anger?
We live in severely divided times. Both polarities of the political spectrum lash out, judge, insult, ostracize, and even inflict violence on the other, and we are more polarized as a country perhaps than any time since the Civil War. Unless we begin to forgive, include, and embrace each other, our future will inevitably lead us down a path of peril and destruction.
Why do some of us choose (and it is a choice) the path of judgment, ostracism, and persecution? Perhaps it’s because if we frame the other side as evil, stupid, and hateful, then we can claim to be good, smart, and loving.
Many sacred texts point us in a different direction. Greek philosophers spoke of Agape, which was associated with unconditional love and the love of God for humanity. The Upanishads, ancient Sanskrit texts of the late Vedic period, teach that “true love stems from recognizing the Self (Atman) within all beings. He who sees all beings in his Self and his Self in all beings never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within this true Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish.” This aligns with Unity theology, which teaches that God is everywhere, including inside of us, which is why we all have the potential to attain Christ consciousness.
In the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text of Hindu philosophy, Lord Krishna asserts that “the little space within the heart is as great as the vast universe. The heavens and the earth are there, and the sun and the moon and the stars. Fire and lightning and winds are there, and all that now is and all that is not.”
Written around the same time, the Apostle Paul speaks in his first epistle to the Corinthians of three cornerstones of Christian faith: faith, hope and love, “the greatest of these [being] love.” Jesus stated, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” and John, in his gospel, states that “whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Fast forward to the 20th century. Echoing Jesus’ words, Mahatma Gandhi, whose thoughts on love were deeply intertwined with his principles of nonviolence and compassion, viewed love as a fundamental force for personal transformation and social change. Gandhi preached, “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love,” and “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Martin Luther King stated that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can.”
Isn’t it time for all of us to “drive out darkness” and embrace the light of love? Feel the love at Unity Church of Sun Lakes in the Arts & Crafts Room at Sun Lakes Country Club each Sunday at 10 a.m.