The Measure of a Life
This post is adapted from a reflection delivered during an ecumenical vespers service at Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, on May 10, 2013, the commemoration of Saint Damien de Veuster . At the beginning of the second act of the musical, Rent , a question is asked: “How do you measure a year?” For those of you who know the show, you’ll recall that a number of answers are given: “In diapers, report cards, in spoked wheels, and speeding tickets; in contracts, dollars; in funeral, in births.” For those of us who might be a bit more pragmatic and practical: “525,600 minutes.” All of these are good answers—true answers. The best answer, however, was saved for last: “measure in love—measure your life in love.” Tonight, we remember that for us, as disciples of Jesus, love is the only measure for our lives—not doctrines or devotions, customs or conventions—only love. The theologian Karl Rah...