Love Begets Love
We do not need statistics to know that fear and hatred are thriving. We see it. We feel it. We encounter it in our communities, in our news, and sometimes even in our own hearts. Yet today, right now, the gospel speaks a word that cuts through fear and points us toward hope.
Jesus says: “Fear no one” (Mt 10:26).
At first, those words can sound simple, even unrealistic. Of course we want to avoid fear. But how do we do that? Fear is often difficult to recognize in ourselves. Like sin, it can quietly shape the way we see others, the choices we make, and the lives we live.
Jesus does not simply tell us not to be afraid. He invites us into a larger vision of reality. He points us beyond the ordinary measures by which we often judge our lives—our success, our status, our finances, even our relationships—and toward something greater. He reminds us that God’s love is present in every part of our lives and that this love is stronger than any darkness we encounter.
To love in this way is to begin seeing others as God sees them—as beloved. And that kind of love asks something of us. It calls for our whole selves to love fully. Loving God is not something we do only in church or in prayer. It shapes how we treat our families, our neighbors, our coworkers, and even strangers. It influences the choices we make, the things we buy, and the way we move through the world.
We live within God’s love, and we are called to extend that same love to others. Every person we meet and every situation we face is touched by a love that is greater than fear.
The theologian, spiritual teacher, and civil rights leader Howard Thurman wrote that “love begets love, hate begets hate” (The Wider Ministry and the Concept of Community ,p.3). Thurman believed that genuine love is one of the most powerful responses to hatred and fear. Love has a way of reaching beyond hostility and touching something deeper within another person. Real transformation begins not with force but with love, and it grows as we deepen our love.
So how do we face fear?
Thurman suggests that when we respond to fear with love, we invite others to do the same. “Love begets love.” In a world that often teaches us to meet fear with more fear, the gospel offers another path.
May we walk that path. May we choose the way of love to which Christ calls us today. “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. . . do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
When I hear these words, I imagine Jesus speaking softly to each of us, even in our moments of uncertainty and fear. And in that whisper I hear these words: I love you.