Jack’s Winning Words 9/25/15
“We must treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated.”  (Pope Francis)  It almost seemed like a sermon when the Pope was speaking to a joint session of Congress.  He reminded his listeners of the Golden Rule, without “preaching” at them.  This world (home, school, work, everywhere) would be a better and safer place if we’d treat one another in a kindlier way.  Almost all religions have some variation of that “rule.”    ;-)  Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  all religions of the world tell us to love our neighbor.  Jesus raises the bar.  he tells us to love our worst enemy!   what if we had been told to love bin Laden the day after 9/11/01?  not sure that is what America wanted to hear but it would be in keeping with the radical "demands" of real Kingdom living...====JACK:  But, what would it have meant to  LOVE Bin Laden?  Love” is an illusive word.  Just like the word forgive.  Can there be forgiveness without “request” on the part of the other person?  I’m not so sure that we truly understand what it means to love and to forgive.

FROM TRIHARDER:  Never was the Golden Rule greeted more enthusiastically.====JACK:  It's one thing to greet it;  it's a harder thing to actually practice it.  Time will tell if words translate into action.

FROM TARMART REV:  Good advice wherever and whenever spoken by whomever would speak it!!====JACK:  Penneys was originally called, The Golden Rule Store, because owner, J.C. Penney, ordered all of his employees to follow the Golden Rule when serving their customers.

FROM CHESTER THE GOOD:  I prefer the original, "Do unto others..."====JACK:  The Golden Rule was first stated negatively..."Don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself."  It was first written positively by the Jews...That was about 1300 BC in a well-known Torah verse (Hebrew: "ואהבת לרעך כמוך.")  So, if you prefer the original, say: ואהבת לרעך כמוך

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  Jack, I say that life is reciprocity - it is the title of one of the chapters in my book.====JACK:  Reciprocity..."You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

FROM DR J:  Really love the Pope!====JACK:  Many others seem to love him, too...but it's not unanimous.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  like him for the most part, but not his aligning w/the climate change mafia. lots of money to be made off this questionable "science." just look at al gor, uh, al gore. ====JACK:  As for saving the planet, I guess it depends of who you trust as your authority. ====LIZ:  we definitely should do our best to conserve, preserve.  china is the worst offender. we are their biggest contributors, tho, by buying their poisonous products made by slave labor. no controls on factory emissions over there.  but we get cheap stuff, so we don't care.====JACK:  The old expression is, "Follow the Money."  Many politicians do it.  It's on the agenda for many nations.  Even and you and  I have trouble resisting what seems to be "a free lunch."

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  I like this pope. He seems like as much of a humanist as any orthodox religion will allow====JACK:  He's sort of like a Catholic Dalai Lama.====HOWIE:  Right good analogy.====JACK:  In this religiously fractured world, we need some people who are spiritually ex-span-sive.

FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  So simple......====JACK:  I like this hymn stanza..."If our love were but more simple,  We should take Him at His word;  And our lives would all be sunshine  In the sweetness of our Lord."

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  How true the Golden Rule is. Have you been watching Pope Francis?  I especially liked the interfaith service at the 9/11 Memorial and also his visit to the school in East Harlem.====JACK:  I liked the sermon delivered to Congress.  Like with many sermon messages...some get it and some don't.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  In my humble opinion, the Pope chose his words well--passion and compassion. Passion, theologically speaking, reminds of Christ's passion and is so much deeper than the Golden Rule and in my opinion anyway, all of us have opportunities to take up our cups, drink from them, and live with passion and compassion for others who come into our paths in the same Spirit which Jesus led us. Jesus still lives among us--praise the Lord.  In my opinion anyway. ====JACK:  I wonder if the Pope ever says, "In my humble opinion."  It appears to me, that in his speaking, he's simply saying what he thinks, without demanding that this be the thinking of others.  I see people responding positively to this kind of "preaching."