On a visit to Turkey last year, Mance and I were with a tour
group who listened in Ankara to a professor's lecture on the Middle East. At
one point, an American in our group asked, "What is it with this region?
It never seems to settle down?" The
professor paused a moment, then responded, "In history, four people who
have talked directly to God are Moses, Abraham, Jesus and Mohammad. They are all from this region. Next question?"
He gave an example from a visit he once made to Israel,
where a Jewish man confided in him that he thanked God every
night for the Palestinians. When he asked why, the
man said, "because if the Palestinians were not here, we
Israelis would turn on each other."
I see how difficult The Golden Rule--based on words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
and mirrored in nearly every religion--also seems in the United States right
now, where we Americans are turning on each other. It is a seriously
difficult challenge for me to live each day treating all Americans the way I
would like to be treated, using more unconditional acceptance.
Yet Pope Francis has some encouragement: He said,
"Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and
goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has
experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of
others. If we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out
to others and seek their good. (from his recent Evangelii Gaudium).
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