What He Loves
“Be doers of the word”
Last Thursday was a big day for the #EndItMovement. If you’re not familiar, the #enditmovement exists to raise awareness about human trafficking. Over the past few years, I’ve heard whisperings about the evils of human trafficking, but I never really understood what that meant until I started doing some research.
Sisters, human trafficking is slavery, plain and simple - over 40 million people across the world are people are being bought and sold, and at least 8 million of them are children. Kids as young as 2 years old are being trafficked and used for slave labor, sexual abuse, and organ harvesting. It’s disgusting and dark and evil. It makes me want to turn away, but that’s why I can’t. Because that’s not what Jesus did.
Jesus never turns His back.
Sisters, I can’t turn my back because Jesus doesn’t turn His back. When you love someone, you care about what they care about. I love Jesus - so whatever Jesus cares about, I care about. He cares about the victims of trafficking, so I care about the victims of trafficking. He cares about abortion and abuse and neglect and homelessness and prison, so I care about it. He doesn’t allow the darkness to scare Him, so it can’t scare me. Where He goes, I go. What He says, I say. What He loves, I love.
Sisters, I’m not a doer of the word simply because I have a duty to it; I’m a doer of the word because I love the One who made it. I submit myself to His leadership because I love Him. I might not be able to storm a compound to free victims of trafficking, but I can love them by learning how to spot them. I can’t solve world hunger, but I can get to my soup kitchen, working to make things better in my own neighborhood - because Jesus loves my neighborhood. Jesus loves the people around me, so I can too - watching for injustice, caring for my coworkers and my roommates, serving the people in my parish, and babysitting my friends’ kids. And I do it because I love what He loves. And He loves us all.
Father,
Thank You for loving so extensively. Thank You for loving and choosing each and every person on this planet. Thank You for drawing us into communion with You so that we can love the way that You do.
God teach us. Please teach us how to love the way that You do. Teach us how to live the way that You do, to serve the way that You do, to see the way that You do. God, we want Your heart. We want Your mind and Your vision.
God, we love You. Please help us to keep You and Your love at the center of it all. Amen.