I find that when I’m angry and resentful toward someone in my life, I tend to not look at them when I’m around them, or just avoid them entirely. A friend of mine recently suggested that in those moments when I realize that I am avoiding someone out of resentment, to make an attempt to look them in the eye and listen to what they are saying. While this doesn’t entirely heal the wound, what it does do is allow me to be in relationship with that person and recognize them as a child of God. It is from this place of openness that God’s grace can take over.
Jake Martin, SJ, author of What’s So Funny About Faith, is a Jesuit comedian and writer from Chicago. He is a regular contributor to America magazine and Busted Halo and recently performed a one-man show at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival.