February 2015

Theme: Love

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Long before Tina Turner posed the question, “What’s love got to do with it?” in music, the world’s religions invited reflection and offered teachings related to love and its practice in the world.  

By the time Jesus came along, for example, Judaism had a long established teaching on love that instructed followers to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).  Jesus agreed with this teaching but he seems to have also felt the word "neighbor" was being taken a little too literally.  For the people of his day, “neighbor” was understood as one’s countrymen, one’s own kind, so to speak.  So Jesus, reflecting on the ancient teaching of his faith, rewords it slightly, ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” (Matt 5:43-44).  Here Jesus cites both ancient scripture, “love your neighbor”, along with its then popular interpretation -love your own kind and hate your enemies- and restates the teaching. In doing so, he invites us to transcend the limits of the literal or popular interpretation of the day associated with that teaching.

For many in our own time, Jesus’ call to “love your enemies”, is problematic.   The question I most often hear or am asked about this teaching is, how can one “love” one’s enemies?  Here, I find, more often than not, the issue is not really how but what?  or “What’s love got to do with it?” In other words, “what is love” in the context of this teaching?

You are welcome to offer your reflection/response to this question below.