Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

An elderly woman religious walks along a sidewalk during a visit to Maryland's Chesapeake Bay area in North Beach July 22, 2021. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

Always choose love over complaints


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, Seniors, Wit & Wisdom

As we age, body parts wear out. I’m currently going to physical therapy three days a week, I see my internist
on a regular basis and I’m referred to various specialists for various issues.

When I was young, I was always amazed that “old” people were always talking about their ailments and illnesses. Now I’m one of them. What a revoltin’ development!

Because I realize that talking about my ailments only increases my awareness of them, I am practicing suffering in silence more and more.

One activity that does seem to help is “sending love” to my body parts. It’s so much easier to complain about my back than to send love to my back. When I send love, I actually do feel better. When we’re hurting, we need love more than complaints.

I use this image of my own body as a sort of parable for our country. There are more and more problems in our country. True, there may be a cute little story at the end of the newscast, but most of the news is about war, crime and political division. That apparently attracts viewers but it does nothing to make viewers feel better.

Jesus said he came that all might be one, yet it didn’t take long for Christians to experience divisions. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says: “I have come to set parents against children and brother and sister against each other.”

The first time I read that passage, I thought to myself and spoke in prayer: “If that’s why you came, you could have stayed in heaven. We’re pretty good at creating divisions all by ourselves!”

Those divisions were not caused by Jesus. They were the result of some family members accepting Jesus and others not accepting him.

As we begin a new school year, perhaps we can make a new resolution to accept others as they are. None of us needs more judgment. All of us need more love. Let’s focus on loving others as they are, and let’s allow God to understand our differences.

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