6th Sunday of Eastertide As I have loved you. Maybe I’m getting crotchety as I get older, but these past weeks I have been told a number of ‘horror’ stories by teachers having to deal with young children who have not been disciplined by their parents. Needless to say the teachers are now expected by these people to mould their children into models of good behaviour and manners. Most probably those parents thought they were being loving towards their children in letting them be free to express themselves. The world my parents and grandparents grew up in was one where discipline was often strict, sometimes arbitrary and occasionally very unjust. But in the name of ‘love’, aren’t these undisciplined children also being treated unjustly? Who would want to be friends with them for any length of time? Who would want to employ them? How to give love that is truly for the best is one of the hardest lessons we have to learn: when to be easy, when to be hard, when to hold close, when to let go, when to show affection, when to challenge. These are all issues true ‘lovers’ agonise over. And then we have to be true to ourselves. One of the best guides that I have found in my life is to consider how God has loved me. On my side, yes, supportive, yes, but challenging, oh so very yes…. to the point of toughness, and then beyond that point. Have I understood what was going on in my life? Rarely, and then only in hindsight. But on the whole God has been quietly and steadfastly at work. So sometimes, when I’ve been in a dilemma about how to love, I’ve stopped and asked, hopefully honestly, how would God treat me, love me, in this circumstance? The answer has often been surprising, sometimes tough, and nearly always challenging for me as I’ve had to go out of my comfort zone and love in a disciplined way that respects all the persons involved.
Sr Kym Harris OSB |