Adhem

“Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.” (Leigh Hunt)

Loving Neighbour (Icon)

In the early nineteenth century, the poet, Leigh Hunt, wrote a poem called, “Abou Ben Adhem”.  The poem goes as follows:

“Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold:—

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.”

And I have been reflecting on that poem today as I have been reflecting on the Resurrection of Our Blessed Lord.  You see, Christ entered into Time and Space when He was conceived for the sole purpose of dying and rising again.

And I have been reflecting on that as I have been reflecting on Adhem in the poem.  After all Adhem “led all the rest” only when he “loves his fellow man”.  And that is something that struck me.  When Christ gave His commandment of Agape He said, “‘…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-34).

And I have been thinking today – on the day when He is Risen – that if I cannot bring myself to LOVE MY NEIGHBOUR then all of this – the BIRTH, DEATH and RESURRECTION of my Blessed Lord – was all for nothing.  If I cannot bring myself to actually have love for my neighbour as though they were myself – to give them my share and to look after them – then everything including the BIRTH, DEATH and RESURRECTION of Christ is for nothing.

After all, when the Pharisees asked God what the most important commandment was, He told them – and He told me too (through the Gospels that I read today)…  And what He said was…  Love God and Love my neighbour.  And He created a sort of balance where I cannot please Him by doing one thing and not doing the other.  And I have been reflecting on that today, because it seems to me that God has set a very low bar for me to cross…  Just a bit of love.  And it seems to me that I spend far too much of my time trying to weasel my way out of it…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.