There would be no need for love if perfection were possible. Love arises from our imperfection, from our being different and always in need of the forgiveness, encouragement and that missing half of ourselves that we are searching for, as the Greek myth tells us, in order to complete ourselves. Eugene Kennedy
Meditation: The imperfections of us humans paralleled with the below mentioned imperfections of the so called “Old Testament” open both up for the need to be complemented. Only if both admit their limitations can completion be reached. And the journey towards completion is often filled with experiences of conflict, misunderstandings, authentic struggle, love, encouragement and finally tolerance of differences, and the forgiveness of shortcomings. We witnessed this experience in the early church when Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians tried to find a new theology together. If the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians had not found a way through and despite their differences, we would probably not have a “New Testament” as we have it today. And possibly Christianity would not have become a world religion, but might have stayed or disappeared as a small Jewish sect had they not complemented each other. Additionally we witness the above truth in our choices of friends and life partners. True love consciously recognizes and accepts one’s own and the others’ imperfections while striving to accept differences and forgive genuine mistakes.
Prayer: God, sometimes we want to surround ourselves only with folks who are “just like us”. We feel threatened by people who are different from us. Teach us that wholeness and completion comes from our differences and from our embracing of those differences. Thank you for the early Christians who found a way to integrate Jews and Gentiles into their young communities. Help us remain open to persons who are different from us. Help us to navigate the necessary conflict that arises from our differences. Let love, forgiveness and encouragement be the Spirit that reigns in our churches, communities and families. In Your name we pray. Amen
For if that first Covenant had been free from imperfection, there would have been no attempt to introduce another. Hebrew 8:7 (WNT)
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