Many years ago the great Italian movie director Federico Fellini premiered his film La Strada (The Street). It soon became recognized as a classic. There are many symbolic characters in the
film. One of them is a street clown who some have seen as representing Christ. In one unforgettable scene, the clown is talking to a young woman. She has grown weary of trying to love
unlovable and unloving people, and she wants nothing more to do with them. As the conversation ends and the young woman turns to leave, the clown says to her, “But if you don’t love these people, who will love them?”
Sometimes we are those unloving and unlovable people. If God didn’t love us who then would love us? But even in our unworthiness, he does love us, and that becomes the model for us. In all this, we must remember that “loving” as Christ requires of us does not necessarily mean “liking” or “approving” of someone. It means willing and working for their good as best we can. For example, we will offer help to the person who previously refused to help us or has hurt us in some way. Then we are disciples. As the old saying goes, “To love the world is no big chore. It’s that miserable person next door who is the problem.”
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