Today's Journal

GETTING EVEN

Getting Even is a principle out of the Law of Moses.
The Law was straight up: “The punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise” (Exodus 21:24-25). And Leviticus 24:19-20, “Anyone who injures another person must be dealt with according to the injury inflicted— a fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whatever anyone does to injure another person must be paid back in kind.”

This was the Law of reciprocal response. ‘You do it to me, and I do it back to you… maybe with a little extra.’ Our human instinct goes naturally to ‘get even.’ We want proportionate return for injury to the one who injured. We call it justice, and justice is often a legalized revenge.
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) Roman Emperor and philosopher wrote: “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.” (From: ‘Meditations’) He could very well have taken his remarks from Jesus the Master teacher who was born about a century before Aurelius. Jesus said, “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’. But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39). ‘You have heard the law that says,’ but I say.’ The Law Way or the Kingdom way… Yikes!
It is surprising how well we like the Law, as we constantly say, “We are not under the Law... we are under Grace.”
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Jesus
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10 May 2026

HEALING IN NATURE

I once read a quote by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) professor and author, who wrote: “I find too (do you?) that hard days drive one back on Nature. I don’t mean walks . . . but little sights and sounds seen at windows in odd moments.”
I only know that when the difficult and confusing press upon me… I too, head for nature. Even if it just our backyard where the bird feeder, trees, bushes, flowers and vines are growing. Getting a little further away to a river, creek, tall trees, meadows, rocks, wildflowers and wild grasses is even better. What I think happens in these experiences is we return to our Edenic beginning and our deepest DNA is enabled and repaired.
We can “listen with the ear of our heart,” as St. Benedict of Nursia (480-547) wrote in the ‘Prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict.’ With this kind of listening, we can hear the voice of the Father… and be healed in our natural world by simply being present.
A tall, straight Sugar Pine with its huge hanging pinecones waving gently in the breeze can repair a lot of damage and confusion that might be present in our inner person.
“Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.” Jesus