I was talking to a woman at the school I was working at today about a mutual aquaintance. (There are a lot of interconections in the district, especially if you grew up here.) During our conversation, she told me that just being in the same room as this person made her feel good. Even though she hasn’t spent a lot of time talking with them one on one, this person’s presence alone brings her a quiet joy. I recently spoke on Karl Rahner for my mystics class and one of his students said the same thing. He said that though he did not always understand what Rahner was talking about, just being there and hearing him lecture, this student went away feeling better about himself.
I don’t know exactly what qualities it takes to be that kind of person. I know what it feels like to be around someone like that but I’m not sure how to become that kind of person myself. Warm acceptance, joy when you see someone, wisdom, and a focus on the positive in each person are many of the qualities you would find in such a one. Basically, they live love. I think that is one of the highest compliments you could give someone: that they live love. You can always tell a person like that because this woman was right, you just feel better when you’re around them. I am deeply grateful God makes his presence known through souls such as these.
365-09 #324