Not to get all “nit-picky” here, but would the good Samaritan have done all he did if the victim of that mugging really had been his neighbor?
Not some guy or gal in the same town or even the same part of town but — oh, baby! — one who lived right next door? Such as:
— The one who never (repeat, never) mows his lawn until the grass is at least (repeat, at least) 18 inches high.
— The one who sits out on her patio burning, burning, burning through cigarette after cigarette, the smoke wafting over a shared fence into your yard.
Your yard.
Your lungs.
Like some kind of 21st-century mustard gas.
You’ve politely spoken to your neighbor about it.
Her response? “I know I should quit. And I’m going to. In a while.”
Uh huh, just as the earth has been circling the sun … for a while.
Then too, your husband has spoken to hers. His reply?
“Oh yeah, she really loves her smokes. I told her she had to do that outside.”
Didja now?
— Then there are the ones. A “double delight.”
Late night loud music. Early morning loud vehicles. (One to the left of your house, the other to the right.) Needless to say, any attempts on your part to eke out even a little sleep as the night slips (is blown) away, are so frustratingly futile.
— And, of course, no list like this would be complete without mentioning neighbors’ free-range dogs with, uh, intestinal issues. And cats who repeatedly confuse your rose garden with their litter box.
Just a few examples, right? Yes, you could add a dozen more right off the top of your head. Your weary head.
Would you help your neighbor?
So! Now we ask you.
So! Now ask you yourself. Would you go out of your way to help that person if you came across them on your drive to the mall?
Wait! It should be pointed out, you know, they’re in need because they’re always somewhere in their spinning cycle of need. Which is: Borrow, use, lose, abuse, break, admit no blame and seldom, if ever, return an item. All that, from the day they (or you) moved in.
Now, on the road to the mall, they look so forlorn and helpless. Ha!
You know that that they know! What they want, baby, you got it.
And all you’re asking for is a little … respite, respite, respite. Respite.
“R.E.S.P.I T.E. Get this neighbor away from me!”
Good news. Here’s how to “sock it to ’em, sock it to ’em, sock it to ’em … ” and so on.
Plus!, all the while, being what, being who, Jesus asks you to be.
Very, very simply put: They go low, you go high. They go lower, you go higher.
And as you know and probably have experienced from time to time — man! — is it irritating when someone does that.
Annoying with nice
This isn’t killing with kindness. It’s annoying with nice.
For instance:
1. Bob and Sheila (known for their one-upping skills, show up with a brand new car and park it in their driveway, which is right next to your driveway … holding your very-not-new car.
He honks, with gusto. She hops out, with glee. You hustle out your front door, shake his hand, give her a hug, and say, “That might be the prettiest car I’ve ever seen in my life! I am so happy for you.”
2. Let’s call him Eeyore. The fellow two houses down who’s never happy unless he’s unhappy. But! He hates being “out-unhappied” Which, it seems, is exactly what another neighbor is doing. The one whose husband died a year ago. Eeyore figures she should be “over it” by now. Really!
But you, you little stinker, continue to offer her comfort. To listen to her. To let her know she and her late husband remain in your prayers and in the Masses you have said for them.
The widow innocently happens to mention that to Eeyore and does all that fry his taters! (To use an expression that means “tick him off.)
3. Here’s a classic flash point: holiday Christmas lights. In this example, it’s two (angry) birds, with one stone. At first glance, Mr. Hatfield and Mr. McCoy seem to deeply love all things Christmas, but they adore decorating their houses. To such an extent the Magi would have lost sight of the Star in the East because of the glare from the gutters.
The two competitors want you, they trust you, to judge, and definitively declare which house decorations look better. So … after careful examination and deliberation, you point out the stellar features of each and then announce you like them equally. In other words. It’s a big, fat tie. Nobody loses. Nobody wins. Making both men comrades in their hate for you. United in their disgust with you. You and the little plastic snowman and Nativity scene on your front lawn.
They walk away, each to his own home, each looking forward to summer and their merciless critiquing of your laughable landscaping and gardening skills.
Even now, one dubs you “Mr. Brown Thumb” and the other nods vigorously.
| Every one of us, every day |
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“The works of mercy reawaken in us the need, and the ability, to make the faith alive and active with charity. “I am convinced that, through these simple, daily actions, we can achieve a true cultural revolution, like there was in the past. If every one of us, every day, does one of these, this will be a revolution in the world! Everyone, each and every one of us. “How many Saints are remembered even today, not for the great works which they accomplished, but for the charity which they knew how to impart! … “These works of mercy are the features of the face of Jesus Christ, who takes care of his littlest brethren in order to bring the tenderness and closeness of God to each of them. “May the Holy Spirit help us; may the Holy Spirit kindle within us the desire to live this way of life: at least once a day, at least! Let us again learn the corporal and spiritual works of mercy by heart, and ask the Lord to help us put them into practice every day, and in those moments where we see Jesus in a person who is in need.” — Pope Francis, General Audience, October 12, 2016 |
Soar with the saints
So, rather than starting or escalating a long-running neighborhood skirmish, you do just what you’re supposed to do, being Christian and all.
And if a byproduct is higher blood pressure for some, well … it can be said Jesus annoyed more than a few people in his time by … being Jesus.
Then too, as with you, no doubt he came across some folks — cough, Pharisees — who found him to be extreme, if not a regular “goody two-sandals.”
That can be you. In flip-flops.
Ah, if only, if only there were some trusted lists for how we could, how we should react and interact with others. Hmm.
Well … perhaps you noticed in the above scenarios:
Number 1: The Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”
Number 2: The fourth spiritual work of mercy: “Comfort the sorrowful.” (But, uh oh, there’s also its sixth one: “Bear wrongs patiently.”)
Number 3: The seventh Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God.”
Lists, how-tos. Ways to “go higher.” To soar with the saints as your feelings of annoyance fade in the bright light of God’s love.
Guaranteed.
