Photo was taken at Tooreenbawn, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

‘Mandy’ a Golden Labrador makes easy work of picking up one of the many sticks that lie around after the recent big storm.

Thought on Monday – February – 24/02/2014

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin, or their background or their religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela

Hate or hatred is described in the dictionary as a deep and extreme emotional dislike that can be directed against a person or group of people. It can also be directed towards an object or idea and is often associated with feelings of anger.

The foundation stone of Christianity is love and an ongoing invitation to build our lives on and around love. Interestingly it acknowledges that hate is also part of life and is something we learn as we grow older. In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:8, we are reminded that there is a time to love and a time to hate. In our Gospel stories Jesus never hated anyone and equally never encouraged anyone to. He was very much aware how hatred burns up our precious energy levels. It is caustic and paralyses our inner spirit or soul. It is not a good place to be over a period of time. That is why the Gospel stories place such emphasis on love and the freedom it brings.

Is hate a word that dominates some part of your life? Is there any way of making it less dominant? Martin Luther King sums it up best when he said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”