Excerpt from Luke 12:4-7

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight."

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

Saint Augustine said that God is able to love each person as if he or she were the only person in the world.  But we cannot do that.  As human beings, we are limited in that way.  Sometimes, however, we can love one particular person in that intensely focused way.  It could be a spouse, or a partner, or a friend.  And to love one person that completely is to catch a glimpse of how much God cares for each one.

In the movie "Shall We Dance?", the character played by Susan Sarandon reflects on why people get married: "We need a witness to our lives.  There's a billion people on the planet.  I mean, what does any one life mean?  But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything.  The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things… all of it, all of the time, every day.  You're saying, 'Your life will not go unnoticed, because I will notice it.  Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness.'"

What she said about marriage also can be said of close and abiding friendships.  Our love may not be able to encompass everyone―at least not fully.  But sometimes we can love one person as if he or she were the only person in the world.  We can promise to care about everything.  We can bear witness to that person's life.  At the heart of the Christian gospel is the affirmation that God in Christ is the witness to our lives, all of our lives.  It is a love of which we can catch glimpses in our relationships with one another, one person at a time.

Prayer

God, help me today to bear witness faithfully to the lives of those I love―and in so doing, may I catch a glimpse of the ways you love everyone.  Amen.