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In 1976, a car accident tore
open the head of a 21 year-old Chicago young man named Peter. The
injury left him with severe brain damage and in a deep coma. Doctors
told Peter's family and friends that he probably would not survive; even
if he did, he would remain in a comatose state. |
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One of the people who heard
that frightening news was Linda, the girl Peter had planned to marry. In
the sad days ahead, Linda spent all her spare time at the hospital.
Night after night, she would sit at Peter's bedside, pat his cheek, rub
his brow and talk to him. It was like they were on a normal date. All
the while, Peter remained in a coma and unresponsive to Linda's loving
presence. Night after night for three and a half months, Linda sat at
Peter's bedside, speaking words of encouragement to him, even though he
gave no sign that he heard her. Then one night, Linda saw Peter move. A
few nights later she saw an eyelash flutter. It was all she needed.
Against the advice of the doctors, she quit her job and became his
constant companion. She spent her life savings on a swimming pool,
hoping that the sun and water would restore life to Peter's motionless
body. Then came a day when Peter spoke his first word since the
accident. It was only a grunt, but Linda understood it. Gradually with
Linda's help, those grunts turned into words, clear words. Finally, the
day came when Peter was able to walk. It took two long years, but Peter
could walk Linda down the aisle of Our Lady of Pompeii Church in
Chicago. He had to use a walker, but he was walking. Every television
station in Chicago covered the wedding, and newspapers around the
country carried pictures of Linda and Peter. |
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Today, Peter is living a
normal life. He talks slowly, but clearly, and he walks slowly, but
without a walker. He and Linda even have a lovely child. The story of
Linda and Peter is a beautiful commentary on the words of Jesus in
today's gospel. "I give you a new commandment... love one another as I
have loved you. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another." |
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If there is one thing we
need to do today, it is to rediscover the power of love. Not the love we
hear about in every song or see on TV, where love is often used when
they really mean lust. The problem with the word is that it is abused
and overused. It has lost its meaning. |
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The story of Linda and Peter
illustrates the kind of love that Jesus was speaking of — sacrificial
love that never tires of giving for the sake of the other; giving until
it hurts; a mother's love. That kind of love has tremendous power, a
miraculous power, the power to bring people back from the brink of
death, from hopeless sickness to perfect health. |
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On the evening news, we
witness injustices and violence, killings in the streets of our cities.
The strange thing is if you were to ask the people involved in the
injustice, the violence and the killings, what religion they were, most
of them would say 'Christian', which means they are followers of Christ. |
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A Hindu in India once said
if you Christians were like your Christ and loved the way you were told
to, you would convert India in five years. Many Christians do not
imitate Christ, the One we are supposed to follow. They do not imitate
Him in the way He treated others, in the way He loved, even His enemies. |
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It is not difficult to
imitate Christ. Think about this. If at any time in your life you have
once done something that Jesus would have done, you have taken the first
step. It is just a matter of repetition. It takes practice. Some of us
have to get good at being good. But what you have done once, you can do
again and again. It is that simple. |
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Someday after mastering the
winds, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of
love, and then for the second time in the history of the world, we will
have discovered fire. St. Augustine once asked this question: "What does
love look like?" Being a theologian, Augustine could have responded
with a profundity that would tax the mind of most intellectuals. But he
offered a much more practical challenge with a description. He says,
"Love has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten the poor and
needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs
and sorrows of others. That is what love looks like." I would ask you
to cast yourself back to the marriage feast of Cana. Remember what Mary
told the waiters and tells us? Do whatever he tells you. |
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Today, He tells us "love as I have loved you," not a suggestion, but a command. |
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