Good morning, Jesus. Happy Sunday.
One of my readings this morning talked about unconditional love. I'm always amazed at how the world around me teaches me theological lessons, whether it's the changing of the seasons, or a seed beneath the ground rising up through the soil to grow, or a path that becomes overgrown with weeds such as you can't find the path anymore. And I think a lot of your analogies and parables used things in the world a lot that people could relate to.
Sadly we really have no proper mirror in our lives that really reflects unconditional love. And so I think that perhaps that's maybe why we have trouble completely understanding that one.
But then I thought again and realized, yes we do. It's our pets. I think the reason we are drawn to animals as pets is because they express unconditional love to us. There's really nothing we can do wrong that would keep them from coming over and wanting to be petted are wanting to be held. I'm struck at times by little clips I see on the internet of pets really embodying human traits, and they all seem to be based in the unconditional love they have for us.
And it's no less a difficult concept to even grasp as it is one to try to live out. There is rage that comes out of me when I see atrocities that people commit, as if there could never be enough punishment for them. But I don't believe you see them that way, and I'm grateful today that you have never seen me that way.
The presence of a pet looking you in the eyes and not even saying any words speaks unconditional love better than any poem I could ever write. My prayer is that the next time Pup comes up to me with big, wide eyes and an ear to ear grin, almost seeming to say, "Mike, you know, you're pretty darn alright for a human," I'll imagine that you, too, are thinking the same thing.
Thank you for opening my own eyes a little bit better this morning.
And thank you for your unconditional love.
Amen.
