Embracing our humanity

Photo by Lauren Lulu Taylor on Unsplash

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” begins today’s Gospel. This is the equivalent of Jesus brushing me out of the batter’s box with a high fastball. Then he continues with eight more lines. Each line just as high and just as fast - Don’t judge, Don’t condemn, Give and Forgive. I would love to say that it is a good reminder for how I should interact with students and my children. But, in truth this was not a reminder. It was a harsh reality presented in a way that only a relationship with Christ can be presented.

Leaving out some details for brevity it is accurate to say that this school year has been my most trying as a parent. Wading into areas of mental health that until this year was only truly experienced from a “safe” distance. I, like many parents who feel out of our depth, started running all parenting decisions on a loop. What went well? Why? What didn’t go well? Why? What do I need to do moving forward? Time slows down; the focus becomes just one day at a time—sometimes even one small decision at a time. Make this day a good one, this moment a good one, becomes the mantra. It can be taxing, draining, and overwhelming.

Returning to the Gospel, Jesus is sitting me down and reminding me of the true nature of relationships. Love. When our first daughter was born Amity and I would marvel at the responsibility in raising a human. Not just our child, a human. Someone who would have her own hopes and dreams apart from us, someone who would exercise her free will far before we would be ready. Forgetting this is easy. Falling into the, “I am your parent” mindset is a trap I find myself at times. Refocusing and connecting in a real way is what Jesus is calling me towards in the Gospel. Remembering that we are both human. What this looks like is more patience. More encouragement. More love, in particular in affirmations. “For the measure with which [I] measure will in return be measured out to [me].”

Author: Jude Harrington, Theology Department