Can Love Resolve Conflicts?

Most of the posts in this blog are built on the two most important commandments which is to love God and neighbor. [1]

The question that comes to mind is whether love can resolve conflicts.  The answer has to be in the affirmative.  An atheist would probably disagree and point to the fact that Jesus Who was perfect and in love and in humility never resolved His conflicts with those who wanted Him crucified, and He went to His death with all His conflicts unresolved, and such conflicts continue to this day, within the Catholic church, between Christianity and other religions and in the rest of the secular world.

The atheist's point, if ever made, is valid on its face, except that the point assumes that a conflict arises mysteriously from nowhere and has to be dealt with, not with humility and love (forgiveness) which can resolve it but with retaliations which escalates, complicates, multiplies and spreads it.

In truth, a conflict does not arise out of thin air, but within one's prideful and merciless self, on both sides.  Humans do make mistakes, and it is also human to be able to understand that mistakes can be made, and to overlook them, forget about them and move on; yet, at the same time, it is also human to develop an inner obsession to get even at a minimum, and to vanquish the opponent at the extreme.

The bad news is that the opponent can never be destroyed because the force behind all conflicts comes from Satan. Man can never defeat Satan.  When one conflict seems to be overcome, another inevitably arises.  For example, a warrior may enter into a conflict with another and defeat him but he may have another one or two at home, with his wife and his paramours, because he has in his heart lust, which also comes from Satan.

All the forces of Satan are strong and are difficult for man to resist, but not for Christ.  Since Jesus had no pride in Himself and carried with Him at all times His mercy, conflict could not have arisen within Him.  Thus, there was never any conflict between Him and what others perceive to be His enemies because He did not become man for Himself; He became man for man and that includes all His enemies.  It is man who when under the influence of Satan does he see conflicts between himself and the Son of God, for after all, it is Satan's goal to create disagreements between man and God and to sever the ties that bind them.

While Satan is working tirelessly to create conflicts for man, Christ has, ironically, chosen man to undo them.  Even though the forces of Satan are strong and difficult to resist, they can be resisted.  Christ had already shown man how it is done by His life and His Passion, and He had already reserved for man his place in Heaven by these words: "'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.'" [2]  All children are called to come home, and home for the children of God is Heaven.

And who are the peacemakers who would be called home to Heaven as God's children?  They are every person in this world, regardless of age and religion, since everyone has the capacity to make peace, through humility, and through love.

Love indeed can resolve conflicts.


[1] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22 at 36-40.
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5 at 9.