Everything! Dear Tina Turner, the answer is that love has everything to do with human relationships and responsibilities and possibilities in this world. In 1984 Tina Turner , “the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, emotionally belted out Lyle and Britten’s song “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and made it her own and a number one hit on the charts earning her first Grammy of several to come and a biographical movie of the same name. In the song love is called a “sweet old-fashioned notion” and the question is asked: “Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?’ Yet there is a longing for the one who makes her feel this “love”. The song is about the vicissitudes of romantic love yet that, however wonderful it can be and yet challenging, is only one aspect of LOVE. We also experience the love of family and friends and for many passions and causes throughout our lives. We may also love God’s creation and seek out natural and spiritual moments in nature where the feeling is simply love. We may feel a grateful love for our animals and pets. We may feel a deep loving thank you for the God that gave us this beautiful world to live in and all that makes up love in our lives.

We love God’s Creation:

Defining love is the essence of the Sunday Scriptures this week. The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures: Exodus (22;20-26) sums up our responsibility to migrants and aliens in our land, to widows and orphans, and even to those who need to borrow or receive money from us. It stresses God’s compassion for those in need and for all vulnerable ones, asking the same of those who say they love God. The Psalm( 18:2-4,47,51) refrain is “I love you, Lord, my strength.” And the Epistle (I Thessalonians 1:5-10) asks us to be a model for all believers-to prove our faith by our ACTIONS (verse 4-TIB). LOVE IS ACTION! not just sentiment of any sort.

As I look up to the shelf above my desk right now I see two reminders of what love is. The first is a broken pink cup with a lavender heart that says “Mother is another word for love”, and the second is a set of bookends that says “God is Love” (I John 4:16). The cup was a gift I gave to my own dear Mother many years ago. And I grew up with the heavy metal bookends as one of very few prized possessions in my Grandmother’s house. On an economic scale we were working class and sometimes very poor, but we were rich in love and faith. The bookends, rested on the mantle and I saw them every day of my young life. Of course, thinking of my Grandmother and my Mother defines love for me even better than the words can. Their love was expressed in their every action and taught me how to love and in very different ways. And I am blessed.

Love is an essence and a longing we all feel, for love in the romantic sense, yes, thankfully, for some, but for love in all of its manifestations as well. For caring and care, for reaching out to others when it is hard to do, for taking on difficult causes with justice and peace at their base, and for being a friend, wife, husband, parent, daughter, son, or other relative, a pet parent, or even a good neighbor. We must all feel cared for and cherished and we must all do some things that are hard to do because of love. We must grapple with the meaning of love in our lives-what does it mean “to love”? What do love’s actions look like?

Jesus gave us the answer so long ago, summing up the Law of the Hebrews, the Commandments, he said:

“You must love the Most High God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. That is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole Law is based–and the Prophets as well”. Matthew 22:34-40 (TIB).

This love is all encompassing not put in a corner of our lives and reserved only for those close to us-it permeates all of our living and doing and interacting with, for and about others, about the good of the other, about justice. It includes what we DO for “the least of these”, not only what we may give in the collection plate. It includes our social and political and economic choices and actual actions that work toward equality-for the poor being poor no more, for the vulnerable gaining strength, for the different and stigmatized to be accepted as equal in God’s sight, and for those on the bottom of society to move up to the top in equality. When John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that God gave the Only Begotten One….to save the world” “the world” includes not a select few- but EVERYONE in it! To love includes our job of sharing God’s love for all, by being God’s love for all, however challenging that may be.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13: 34).

As I reflect on love I like this quote from Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw , Dean of Grace Cathedral , San Francisco in her Love and Listening:

“Here is a simple truth of the Christian faith: God made us, God loves us and God accepts us as we are. We did not have to earn our creation, and we do not have to earn God’s love. But God is delighted when we respond to that love. If we are to bring that love to others, then we must know something of what it means to be vulnerable with one another and vulnerable with God.”

Indeed, C.S. Lewis said that “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart certainly will be wrung and possibly broken….” I think that this applies to all types of loving. For loving inevitably involves losing and that is so often heart breaking. I lost one of my older kitties this week. His name was Brother Maurus, named by Judy Beaumont and her Sister friend (from the Benedictine’s) Sr. Johnette Sawyer. He was sixteen but only had been ill for a few days. Though I have several kitties, that is of no matter for loss is loss, and he is gone-along with Judy and Sister Johnette. His kitty sister Elana (named for my Grandma Ella and Mom Anna) is looking for him everywhere. Her meowing searching is hard to hear. Yes, animal families too have a hard time parting. I think of the happy day when Johnette visited us and Maurus was named. I like to think of them together in heaven now. Loss is hard whether it is an animal or person, missing someone dear, or even a time of life. As we face aging we accept many losses even as we have some gains-of perspective and , yes, possibly, wisdom and new chances at love and life.

C.S. Lewis continues about loving: to keep your heart safe from breaking “You must give it to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it up carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries, avoid all entanglements, lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket-safe, dark, motionless, airless-it will change. It will not be broken, it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable”.

So, my friends, if you are brave enough to love you are blessed and redeemed with a heart capable of loving and of being broken. Let us thank God for that! Let us risk it, let us love one another as Jesus showed us how to do.-“Love one another as I have loved you”.

Love and blessings, Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP

The Good Shepherd Community in Fort Myers, Florida

10/28/23

Thinking About St. Francis: Reflections of a Roman Catholic Woman Priest

This week, on October 4th, 2023, the Church celebrated the life of St. Francis of Assisi known as the saint of the poor, all animals and the environment. A once very wealthy12th century man, he heard God’s voice telling him to rebuild the church and he became poor and developed an order of 5 thousand followers. He is known for loving and serving all of God’s creation and for Christ’s stigmata on his loving hands!

I have written other blogs about him and his influence on my life and ministry. Two others are: “For Those With St. Francis’ Heart” (July 8,2018) and “A Saint For Our Times: A Woman Roman Catholic Priest ‘s Reflections on the Feast of St. Francis.” October 4, 2018.

He is one of my favorite saints and an inspiration for my life. I can only aspire to his caring, his love and his gentleness toward all people and all of creation. I am often particularly moved by his inclusion of all animals in his caring. To St. Francis all beings are brothers and sisters. Oh what a different world it would be if all of us cared for our brothers and sisters.

These two, Mama in the rear, are part of a whole family of seven kittys given to me fifteen years ago by a homeless man that I worked with in the local park. Often the homeless adopt homeless pets but this man knew he could no longer take care of the cats that his wife adopted before finding indoor housing for herself alone. He had inadvertently stepped on one and killed it and he was distraught. Three kittens were quickly adopted but Mamacat, whom he called Lady Guinevere, and four others remained with me as they had Feline AIDS and people were frightened to adopt them. Now I know that the kittens can go into remission and they did after a year and a half, and that Feline AIDS kittys are not a threat to other cats unless there is a major fight with deep bites. While I rescue many, there has never been such a fight here, but sadly, no one wants older cats. So here they enjoy a restful day.

And below, Marco Polo, now 8, who was brought here as a kitten by his father, Big Benny, with his Mom and brother little Benny, is asking about dinner. The kittens were so tiny as the parents led them over a city block to my house every day to eat. Marco was adventurous exploring everything as he travelled here, hence his name. HIs father was sick and would not come in with them. A few months later he lived on our front porch and I cared for him there until he died of feline leukemia. It still amazes me that Benny found a home for his family before he succumbed to illness. Because his mother Bonnie remained frightened the two kittens took a long time to trust so could not be placed like the many kittens I have placed. But I am still hoping for a home for them.

May you and your beloved pets, and all beings that are in difficult circumstances or without food or homes be under the care of our loving God-and under the care St. Francis showed us to give.

Bless you all,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

Pastor Good Shepherd Ministries, Fort Myers, Florida