In the first book of Samuel, scripture tells us David spared Saul’s life. Choosing to do so was counter to all conventional human wisdom, counter to what might seem ‘right action’. Capacity to act with Divine wisdom can only come from God’s purifying love.
Restoration of Love within us, which is God Himself, must then involve restoration of love within our human relationships too.
Our broken nature drives us to use God as a means to our end goal. We convince ourselves that, because a thought came to us in prayer, it is from God. But God isn’t a means to an end. He is the Means and the End.
The Presentation, the Crucifixion, the Sorrows of Mary, and how the rosary saved a homeless woman…
Grudges, vengeance…these words carry a cloud of gloom. Desolate, angry, and frustrated, as we review every fault in the other person, our enemy will ratchet up our emotions and skew our right reason. God’s Word held in our memory is shouting truth to us to no avail. “Do you question me about my children, tell me how to treat the work of my hands?” (Isaiah 45:11) We think we know exactly what the other person needs to change about themselves, unable to hear our Lord say, “Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ or, ‘What you are making has no handles’?” (Isaiah 45:9). Our judgementalism can be a spiritual sword of revenge.