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When
the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they
gathered
together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to
him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first
commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two
commandments."
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“If everyone cared and nobody cried, if
everyone loved
and nobody lied, if everyone shared and swallowed their pride, then
we’d see
the day when nobody died. And
I’m
singing, 'amen, I’m alive.' And in the air the fireflies,
our only light in paradise. We'll show the world they were wrong,
and teach them all to sing along, singing 'amen, I'm alive.' As we lie
beneath the stars, we realize how small we are. If
they could love like you and me, imagine
what the world could be.”
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Nickelback's
song "If Everyone Cared" is what might be called a "theological song."
It is theological in that it speaks a truth that Christian
theology teaches, namely that if everyone really understood love, then
death would have no power over life. The theology is simple: the
whole law and prophets are dependent on love, and if we love both God
and human beings, we will have life forever, beginning with life on
earth, culminating with life in heaven. Or as Nickelback sings,
"We'd see the day when nobody died."
The song's setting is that the man in the relationship is sharing real love with his friend, and having that love inspires him to think about the complicated world he is in, saying that if everyone could love the way he and his friend are loving, everyone would enjoy life forever. The song could inspire a litany of "care patterns": If
everyone cared, we would love God and other people.
If everyone cared, we would forgive. If everyone cared, we would be kind. If everyone cared, we would be successful in living well. If everyone cared, we would learn honesty. If everyone cared, we would spend time at what is important. If everyone cared, we would all enjoy serenity and happiness. If everyone cared, we would work at doing good all the time. If everyone cared, we would give the world the best we had.
If everyone cared, we
would live well and lead others to do the same.
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THOUGHT
As I study my life
right now, what are the best ways to show to others that I care.
PRAYER Good
and gracious
God, your Son spoke the message of love over and over in his life, even
to the point of giving up his life out of love for us. Teach us
the importance of love so that our lives will be loving here on earth,
and thus
deserve the reward of love forever with you in heaven. Be with us, we
pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |