Complication: kindness as natural, love as Supernatural.

Once I've heard a question: how much an animal has a human to be to “just kill it's alikes”? The problem is actually wider. As a biologist I'm often being questioned if evil is that animal in us which we all should struggle with. I of course would complicate: not only evil but good can be animal as well.

Many real good things along with bad we do inherit in our animal nature: not only aggressiveness and violence but also “natural” kindness, teamwork and even compassion could be explained as the highest form of animal instinct. The real question is whether the feature is supernatural and, more, why?

Why am I kind to a person? Only because of solidarity (today I help you because tomorrow I may need help from you)? That's just an instinct of self-preservation, some variant. Why I spend so much time and effort my children – to be continued in future? That's the species preservation, biology again. But why love?

Here's the point. Evil is natural and so is kindness. Love is not: it's supernatural. A Heavenly Bonus. You can never say why there is love. Love is not why, love is because. Because there is God's image in a human. Because the Spirit has touched this clay and made it not-just-nature. Because biology really costs not a lot when it takes real Humanity. Especially when it's Christ's.

In either the Scripture or the Tradition God might bring us understanding of all His and Heavenly. All but love. Love is so supernatural that even the greatest of the Prophets and the brightest of the Texts could touch but never bring it to us. It took God alive, Jesus. Because love can not be taught: only shown and lived along, lived through.

Jesus said: go teach. Jesus did: love. Not even did: He does love. Now, here, but even more serious than in those “good old times”: now He, being Himself in Heaven, gave us the Spirit to do through us that supernatural, love.

Today's complication: Jesus, me and that woman in the crowd.

Fellows love to say I'm the Problems' Complicator. How complex can you make a simple thing? If you need some complications, come to me and I will surely give you a lot.

Here's today's complication: Jesus, me and that woman in the crowd.

Jesus is pushing through the crowd. I see Him and, of course, joyfully start to push through to meet the Lord. And this woman here, is she crazy? Pale face, almost collapsed tries to make her way through the marketplace. Doesn't she know her place? Woman! Shouldn't she stay where she is and wait on … what? She is definitely pushing towards Jesus. But the place is so crowded and Jesus is already so close to ME!

Question 1: would you step aside even on your way to the Lord to let that old lady make that unclean touch?

Question 2: do you think there was any single one who really helped that woman?

Very often we are so captured with what we think is God's presence that neglect the simplest and most obvious way to make this presence real: just do what Jesus told – don't separate others from Him, don't prevent people from meeting Him – not you – now. That's what all those “first, be the last” are about.

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