The Filter – Current Conclusions

Greetings Dear Reader,

Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

Heart, Soul, and Mind are all mine to command. I choose how I will interact with those around me and what I will tolerate and refuse to tolerate. It is up to me to not just passively put up with those around me but rather I am commanded to love them. Living out this simple filter is very hard. It is complex and takes all our effort to exist in the moment loving God and living out that love in the lives of our neighbors.

All week I have seen the multitude of ways in which I fail at this. I have these prideful moments of exerting my heart, soul, or mind over that which should be following Christ and his example. Fortunately, writing and dwelling on it has made me more aware of those moments and I can attempt to diminish their frequency.

Imagine if we all focused on just these two simple complex commands. Ponder the effect of a race to the pinnacle of humility and forbearance toward one another and love of God. What if we collectively set aside our pride and resentment of others? It can be done. It can be implemented in small moment by moment choices to esteem others better that ourselves. It can be our choice to express our love for God through constantly choosing to love those he created. On a practical level, try this. Try it a little every day and every day try it a little more. I promise I will:

Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me show love;
Where there is injury, pardon:
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."