Page 56 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 18

We may realis�cally perceive the other person's The uniqueness of the other person also inclu-
faults and s�ll accept him. God does the same
with us!
People tend to idealise or judge others.
But we Chris�ans know that no human being is
perfect, and we can deal with that!
First of all, there is a danger that we trivialise
the mistakes of others because we are strugg-
ling in the same area.
But mistakes of others can also tempt us to be-
come proud because we do not commit them.
Other people's mistakes, on the other hand,
can make us afraid because we are somehow
involved if the other person makes mistakes,
e.g. driving a car, or at least our reputa�on
would be at risk.
Couldn't this open up a new perspec�ve, a re-
evalua�on of the mistakes of others as an im-
portant personal learning process for myself?
For, first of all, every person is a chance and op-
portunity for me personally to get to know my-
self be�er.
Jesus points this out to us: "But why do you see
the splinter in your brother's eye and not no�ce
the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say
to thy brother, Wait, and I will pick the splinter
out of your eye? But in fact, there is a plank in
your eye." Ma�.7:3,4.
The helpful ques�on is: Why does this par�cu-
lar fault upset me so much? Why can't I accept
the other in this or that?
Does it perhaps have something to do with the
fact that I cannot accept this same thing in my-
self?
If I start with the other person’s splinter, my
own planks and blind spots are revealed and I
can get to know myself anew and the faults of
the other person lose their threat.
And then: Instead of threat, see poten�al.
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des his or her dark sides, that which makes it
difficult for me to accept him or her. Let us ask
God to help us to discover these weaknesses
and faults of the other as poten�als for posi�ve
developments!
Let us pray that hope will arise and remain in us
that God will make something frui�ul out of
these faults and shortcomings in his �me.
4. The longing antenna of the heart
I am convinced of this: every human being has
a longing for love and redemp�on in the depth
of his heart, no ma�er how he behaves towards
me.
"For love", that is clear to all of us. "Redemp�-
on" means two things: first of all, to be able to
love again, and then to receive both, to be
loved and to be able to love, at no cost, un-
deserved (which means grace), that is, not to
have to do anything for it and not to run the risk
of failing.
Outwardly, we all look different, from our
height to the smallest piece of clothing.
(The ego-destruc�ve vice of "comparing one-
self with others in order to devalue or enhance
oneself" must be resolutely opposed).
But inside, in our hearts, everyone has this
same longing.
Inside, we are all much more alike and thus
much closer than we think, with this longing.
The French philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas for-
mulates this cry of the heart thus: >You shall
not kill me<, and >You shall not leave me alone
as I die<.
This hidden cry or thirst and hunger of the
heart silences the differences between us. All
the built-up self-presenta�ons collapse: Both of
us need grace and long for it.
It is something precious to experience a onen-
ess with the other in this longing.