Text: Stefan Glättli, FMH specialist in internal medicine, St. Thomas Church, Basel (CH)
May everything be done in love – Thoughts on the motto for 2024
My first thought about this statement by Paul is: Total utopia. I'll never manage that. Nevertheless, I feel a great longing to be loved and to be able to love. It's actually a burden for me to live in a world in which radical ideas shape social discourse so strongly. If I show a conservative attitude in the gender debate, I'm rejected. The same applies if I'm open to people who have had a difficult, dangerous migration journey. Expressing an opinion publicly very quickly leads to being labelled and positioned in a certain social corner.
Conflicts are part of being human. They are rooted in our differences. Each and every one of us grew up differently and was shaped differently. Even as small children, we learn to look at how others solve a task. We feel unfairly treated when our sister or brother gets a bigger piece of the cake. We are insulted when we lose a game. As adults, positions of power are exploited to torment other people. There is a lot of talk about bullying in the workplace. In many relationships, too, conflicts are resolved with great aggression.
What could this look like? Resolving conflicts in love? What would this require?
The first thing that comes to mind is " listening ". Without listening quietly and carefully, I will never be able to understand the person I am talking to. Without taking the time to listen, I will end up judging them far too quickly. By listening, I will have a great opportunity to hear life stories. And it will suddenly be much more difficult to label someone. The opponent becomes a conversation partner, even if our opinions may still be very different.
This brings me to the second point: “ Understanding the background and context .” Finding out why someone holds a certain opinion creates understanding for the other person.
But that still leaves me a long way from the love that is required: "Let everything you do be done in love!". This requires a third thing - I need an old-fashioned word here - namely humility . For me, humility in this context means that I admit to myself that I cannot create love on my own. I am dependent on the relationship with God, who loved me first, who I can trust deeply, who gave me my identity. If I am shaped like this, I will be more able to approach my critical fellow human beings with understanding and love.
Comments