Love one Another as I Have Loved You

Yep, that's the Gospel reading for Sunday. I happened upon a good lay person who was trying to get together something for a "sermon" on Sunday. My response was "Just preach what it says" "Do as yer telt!" It can't be any plainer! Start loving each other and it might just get different.

Is that so hard? It's a million miles from political propaganda and party politics at the moment. It's probably a million miles from policies too.

Poverty in our communities. Nobody is speaking about addiction and how we deal with that. Who wants these low paid jobs that the "immigrants" accept? They pay taxes no? Pay for our pensions, no? How do we motivate a youth culture that doesn't want to work? Who loves all these guys and gals? Especially the strangers who are flooding in and taking all our jobs?

Tell you what. They are not taking the banking jobs where millions of pounds of bonuses are still being paid. Very little is being said about the Robin Hood Tax which would tax bank profits at source.

Love one another? We don't seem to know how to begin to share our wealth with others. Higher taxes for the wealthy? God forbid!

Love one another? Is that why we pay billions for Trident, so we can blow our brothers and sisters to kingdom come? Deterrent? Who are we deterring? A wee suicide bomber on the London Underground? Let's nuke him, eh?

Love one another, and so the parties and the press smear fellow humans in a way that turns my stomach.

Love one another? Show me a party that is committed to eradicating world starvation. Or even one that puts it high on the agenda.

Love one another? No it's just a "me me me" election again and the selfish b*******  in this country will get what they want. Much of a muchness and other people to blame for where they are.

I'm not the only priest who has committed his life to areas of poverty and affliction. I'm not brilliant and live in a big house with a comfy stipend. That is where I am and would like to have the courage to denounce it. I certainly have the courage to accept higher taxation if that's what's needed for the NHS and areas of extreme poverty. Politically, these days, I can find nobody who shares my passion. Perhaps Christianity has died, and Our Lord still cries in the wilderness, "Love one another as I have loved you". Who will keep love on the agenda?

I have just finished reading Son of Hamas. It's amazing how love can change our world, and a pity that the Christian message has become derided by those who seek power.