What brings peace is not force but tears.
Tears wash our eyes of our prejudices.
Tears water our hearts with compassion and understanding.
Tears clean our hands of indifference, readying it for service.
Tears remind us of our humanity. When all is said and done, we rely on a greater power.
Tears enable us to see that on that bench, in that dark alley is not trash, but a sister or brother.
Inspired by today's First Reading (Phil 2:5-11), a homage to a friend.
The measure of a man...
is not in brute strength, but in the strength of character that makes one ready to stand alone despite the pressure of the mob;
is not in naked power, but in the power to create better conditions for a more caring society;
is not in worldly possessions, but in possessing a good heart that grieves with the grieving, that struggles with those who are struggling;
is not in loud rhetoric, but in the quiet and transforming power of following the Golden rule;
is not in self-centeredness, but in the willingness to journey to create a more inclusive "we".
