cold

"because iniquity shall abound,"
Jesus explained,
"the love of many will grow cold."

the statement repeats itself in my thoughts,
circling around
again and again
until i pay attention
and ponder it.

because iniquity abounds,
the love of many grows cold.

and within my soul an alarm goes off--
a flashing red light in the darkness,
an air-raid siren increasing the urgency.

i am warned.
the natural tendency of the many,
probably of all,
is to grow cold and loveless
as waves of betrayal and violence wash over us.

and i see,
first dimly,
then more and more clearly,
how the wrongs
against me,
against those i love,
against my acquaintances,
against people i only hear about through the news media--
oh, all of these betrayals and violations,
abrasive
and numbing
and callousing,
fill my soul until
i just
don't
really
care.

"oh, God, have mercy!
ignite my love to white hot fervor!
give me tenderness of heart,
a passion for mercy and justice.
give me stability of heart
to embrace the pain
of loving
even when iniquity abounds."

and the loveflame
on the smoldering wick flickers,
bursts into light,
and shines.