In today's first reading, Acts 11: 1-18, while St. Peter is at prayer, he sees a vision of "something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from the sky by its four corners..." "It came to me," Peter says. In this sheet were "the four-legged animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky." Three times, Peter hears a voice that said to him: "Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat." Peter refuses! No way will he slaughter unclean animals, wild beasts, birds or reptiles. He then hears a voice that says to him: "What God has made clean, you are not to call profane."
Who or what do I label profane or unclean, not worthy to be spoken or listened to or invited to my table? Is that person a Democrat? a Republican? a Trump or a Clinton? An Obama? A black person? a white person? a Korean? a Phillipino? a Russian? an Englishman/woman? Anyone from a culture I have been taught to despise? Anything that I have learnt to shun?
We need a lot more of this type of thinking to bring our country together. A large percentage of people have found the common ground of hatred. The only response is respect which leads to love.
ReplyDelete