Solo mihi

"Solo mihi" is Latin for "To me alone."

There is something direct and personal about the Law of Love. The obligation to love applies to me alone; I can't turn the Scripture around so that I can demand love from others, even if they are my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

From Facebook on 9/11/11

Please pray for my estranged family member with whom I have sought reconciliation. That person's response was, "I don't want reconciliation." So now I grieve, not for myself but for that person. Today that person attended Mass, heard the readings about forgiveness, and received Holy Communion — -after refusing to forgive me and the rest of the family. :-(

This comment lead me to imagine a conversation with Jesus:

Disciple: "Lord, you command us to forgive each other seventy times seven times, but my brother won't forgive me!"

Jesus: "Take the beam out of your eye first so that you can remove the speck from your brother's eye."

I've been on the receiving end of Christian guilt trips, mostly from folks who aren't Christian. Panhandlers know the gospel passages about giving generously. Relativists work the "Do not judge" verse to death. Those who apply the law of love to others instead of to themselves cut themselves off from love.