Money for People with Minds that Hate

I suppose John Lennon received many requests from people and groups who wanted money.  He had quite a bit.  But in the song "Revolution," he turned down the haters with his answer to such requests.  

All I can tell you brother is that you'll have to wait. 

The song essentially suggests that violence and hate are the wrong response to problems.  It's very simple and very direct. 

Depending upon your point of view, John Lennon may be numbered among the great 20th Century good guys who really had an eye on peace.  But many of the great peacemakers were hated.  Make your own list and you'll find that they came under attack from many different directions.  

In modern times, the Roman Catholic Pope is someone who spends a lot of time, words, wisdom, and prayer aimed at peace.  At Easter, Pope Francis pleaded and prayed for peaceful solutions to the trouble in the Ukraine and Syria.  The Pope appeals often on behalf of the poor, he constantly shows patience, and he displays love towards those who are marginalized in our modern world. From his Vatican neighborhood, it seems like everyday the Pope reaches out to someone new.

Yet, there are many people who hate Pope Francis. It seems like each time I  look on the Internet to a story on Pope Francis, I'll see hateful comments.  When you go to YouTube for a story on the Pope, often a positive story is side by side with someone's evil post brimming with hate.  The hateful messages just wear on me. 

To me, hate-filled messages are especially difficult to take when the hate comes from people who consider themselves devout Christians and even devout Catholics.  And yet Jesus Christ lost patience with those who hated others.  I guess they read the Bible, but just don't get it.  Christ was never fond of finger pointers and those who put themselves above everyone else.  

During Lent, when Pope Francis came into church to hear confessions, he marched away from where he was led and knelt down at a Confessional and made his own confession.  He's reached out to the divorced.  He  holds back judgment on gay people.  He has expressed mercy and love.  And perhaps most remarkable is that he works hard to avoid slamming doors on people.  Whenever I am overwhelmed by haters, I look to Pope Francis, who seems to rise above it all.

I think John Lennon would have been a big fan.