Recently, I have been strolling down memory lane and reflecting on attitudes I had while in grammar school, in high school, and even as a young priest. In grammar school and high school, I was taught that if we wanted to help people or change the way that people acted or thought, we should give good examples. Somehow, that never seemed enough to me. Give a good example? Couldn’t we do more?
I had similar feelings when I was a young priest, and there was much talk and discussion among people interested in religion about the importance of bearing witness. I had the feeling that bearing witness was a rather weak way of influencing others. Couldn’t, indeed shouldn’t, we do more?
I now think that bearing witness is a very powerful way of influencing others. If we believe in freedom, perhaps bearing witness is the most important and even most powerful way that we can influence others. If people are free, then I think that they cannot be forced to do anything worthwhile. Good actions must be done freely. If not done freely, I don’t think they have much, if any, value.
In his amazing encyclical, “He Loved Us,” Pope Francis writes the following: “To be able to speak of Christ by witness or word in such a way that others seek to love him is the greatest desire of every missionary of souls. This dynamism of love has nothing to do with proselytism; the words of a lover do not disturb others, they do not make demands or oblige, they only lead others to marvel at such love. With immense respect for their freedom and dignity, the lover simply waits for them to inquire about the love that has filled his or her life with
such great joy.”
Francis believes deeply in the dynamism and power of love. The joy of the believer because of his or her relationship with God will be a great sign to those who come in contact with the believer, a sign that, in Francis’ view, will have a special power. The believer’s love for God may accomplish more than any words or books could. The love that fills the believer’s life will be something like a magnet, illuminating life for those witnessing the believer’s joy. No force or manipulation will be used by the Christian empowered by the love of God.
Nothing will have the power to attract like a life filled with love. The believer’s love will be the strongest message, a message that is extremely attractive and seductive. In another section, Francis writes the following: “This love then becomes service within the community. I never tire of repeating that Jesus told us this in the clearest terms possible: ‘Just as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’ (Mt 25:40).
He now asks you to meet him there, in every one of our brothers and sisters, and especially in the poor, the despised and the abandoned members of society. What a beautiful encounter that can be! “If we are concerned with helping others, this in no way means that we are turning away from Jesus. Rather, we are encountering him in another way. Whenever we try to help and care for another person, Jesus is at our side. We should never forget that, when he sent his disciples on mission, ‘The Lord worked with them’ (Mk 16:20). He is always there, always at work, sharing our efforts to do good.
In a mysterious way, his love becomes present through our service. He speaks to the world in a language that at times has no need of words.” Pope Francis, in his encyclical “He Loved Us,” has given us a great deal to reflect on and to try to incorporate into our lives. Anyone who reads this weekly column regularly knows that I frequently write about love. Any student who has taken any of my courses in philosophy at St. John’s University knows that somehow, a philosophy of love appears at some time in the course.
In his encyclical, Francis has presented some insights into the mystery of love that I may not have thought of previously. He candidly admits that what he has written involves mystery. Love is one of the great mysteries, both our love for one another and for God and God’s love for each of us. Francis admits that how God’s love becomes present through our service is mysterious. That it is mysterious but profoundly true should serve as an invitation to us to reflect on it and to meditate on it. I cannot think of anything more important to reflect and meditate on.
Father Lauder is a philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica. His new book, “The Cosmic Love Story: God and Us,” is available on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.