Love is patient, Love is kind...

This was published on September 3, 2006

This past week has been insane. Along with the usual teaching all week I spent the week doing lots of grading, going to a fantasy league draft, working soccer games, Parent walk-thru and the Carroll Football game. We lost our first football game, which is unusual for Carroll, boy was it frustrating. Sarah Sheldon came to town and last night, her Ashley, Joe, Aly Ann and I went out. It was a blast. We spent the night in Old Town and then closed it with a little I HOP. I didn't get home until 4:00a.m. I haven't had a late night like that since college.
This week I have spent a lot of time thinking about and reflecting on Love. More than anything in this world I just want to be able to love everyone I meet with the love of Christ. Unconditional love. This is something that comes very easy to me when it involves loving my friends, family, and the students that don't give me problems. However when it come to love of enemies and love of those more difficult students it is quite another story.
For example, last week at the back to school dance several students where caught drinking and suspended. Two of those students where also caught hazing a couple freshmen by paddling them with a baseball bat. One of the students that was caught for hazing happens to be a student that completely hates me and as a result I have a very difficult time loving him. Well because of his behavior he is currently suspended and pending a hearing could be expelled. My initial reaction to this was not only anger, which is natural but also I have found myself wanting the worst to happen to him for these offenses. I even told myself I would go out for a celeberatory drink if he got expelled.
I understand that there should be consequences to his actions and he needs to be punished, that justice needs to be served but that needs to be coupled with mercy and love. I want to be a person who can love him and wants what's best for him, but it is very hard for me to do that. I just want to have that love of Mother Theresa being able to love the most poor and vulnerable. I want the love of St. Therese that can offer up the littlest and biggest annoyances of another person and just love them in little ways. I want the love of St. Maximillian Kolbe that would allow me to sacrifice my life for that of another. I want the love of Mary that would allow me to say yes to my God no matter how difficult it is.
I want to be able to look into the eyes of every person, every student, every enemy of mine, and see Jesus somewhere inside them. I want to leave the mark of Christ's love on the soul of every person I encounter. This needs to begin by deepening my own love for God so that I in turn can show that love to others. Lord help me to do this. To all of my myspace friends and blog readers know that I love you and I'm sorry for the times I have fallen short on loving you. I ask for all your help as well, hold me accountable and call me on it when I am not loving to the extent that I should.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7).