We Are All Kin, So Be Kind!

Quarrels and conflicts seem to be an inbuilt part of life, painful though they may be. Every family and friendship, every business relationship and neighborhood community eventually has its times of discord and disagreement, sometimes mild, but sometimes violent. How to deal with conflict is one of the hardest won and most crucial skills for every human being. And that's what we find Abram and his kinsman Lot struggling with in today's Old Testament reading.

Abram took a realistic approach: Our kinsmen are quarreling regularly over scarce resources in this overpopulated land. That's not healthy and it could eventually spill over into a conflict between the two of us. So let's put some distance between us, so there'll be enough for everyone and no more reason to quarrel.

Abram and Lot agreed and peace was restored within the larger family. Wisdom and charity prevailed. But there were limits on the wisdom and charity of Abram's reasoning. He'd argued that they should make peace instead of fighting because they were kinsmen. The gospel of Jesus asks us to reach one step farther, and to recognize in each human being a true kinsman, for we are all the children of the same father.

Don't set your sights too low in being a builder of peace. We are all kin, so be kind!