On Gentle Pens and Poison Tongues

Grief does strange things to people.

When the heart feels like it has a hole large enough to drive a truck through, it can be easy to lash out at others. Even (and perhaps especially) those who love us most.

So when I recently found myself on the receiving end of this kind of toxicity, I had to take a moment and breathe. The temptation was — and is — strong to set the record straight by returning fire for fire.

But retaliation does nothing to put out the fire. It merely doubles it.

What does it mean to be “strong” in this context? It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I like to think of myself as a strong person.

But it’s important not to confuse “strength” with stubbornness. Or pride. Or smoldering resentment.

There are times when to be strong looks a lot like gentleness. Meekness. Patience. Self-control. And as my dear friend Fr. Ubald used to remind us, it is about showing mercy and forgiveness.

In a word, it looks like … love.

Wishing you the strength to love today.