I celebrated Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake, on Wednesday with loved ones. When a snake properly sheds its skin, it does not cause the snake any pain. This is because a natural lubricant forms between the old and new layers, which allows the old to slide off with ease.

We, too, are undergoing transformation both individually and collectively, but it does not feel so easy. The most vulnerable in our country are being targeted, and the Earth is facing ongoing threats from climate change. There is a deep sense of unrest as we try to figure out how to collectively move forward as a country.

On the same day as Lunar New Year, Vice President JD Vance spoke on Fox News as he presented what he called an “old school, very Christian concept”:

“You love your family, then you love your neighbor, then you love your community, then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that. They seem to hate the citizens of their own country and care more about people outside their own borders. That is no way to run a society.”

I think what Vance was trying to say is that we have to take care of ourselves before we can properly take care of others. While there is some truth in that, true love does not function as a hierarchy. Love is expansive. To suggest that caring for those beyond our borders is the opposite of loving our own neighbors is to misunderstand the nature of love itself.

Jesus did understand this. When he was alive, communities were much less connected internationally than we are today, yet he still broke down social barriers and challenged ideas about who “belonged.” He ate with those who were considered outsiders and he spoke in parables that unsettled certain assumptions, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan. This story was particularly challenging because Samaritans were condemned by the Jews, yet Jesus emphasized that there is still good in our “enemies.” Furthermore, in Matthew 12:48-50, Jesus asked:

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, sister, and mother.”

Jesus’ family was not defined by blood or nationality. His family was anyone who extended love to another – especially to the poor, the prisoner, and the stranger.

Astronauts who have ventured into space often experience a phenomenon known as the overview effect. This is a shift in awareness that comes from seeing our fragile blue planet suspended in the vastness of space. From this perspective, the lines we draw on maps disappear entirely. Every person who has ever lived and every moment in human history has unfolded right here. Yet, from space, our planet is so small that you can cover it with your thumb.

Separation is an illusion. Despite our differences in belief, culture, and experience, we are inherently connected. Our fate is bound together, not only with each other but with the planet itself.

Jesus did not need to travel to space to recognize this truth. He taught that we can see it in the here and now, only if we are willing to step outside of our own assumptions and pay attention. When we live fully present to the world by living less in our heads and more in our bodies, we begin to sense how vast and inclusive love truly is. To love is the very essence of our being, because it is the essence of all life. Our definition of “family” inevitably expands too.

When a family member becomes ill, everyone in the household is also affected. For awhile, that person may need extra care. This isn’t because they are more important, but because the health of the whole depends on their healing. The same is true for our world. Some communities of people as well as the Earth are suffering and struggling to survive. They require more care, not because others don’t matter, but because our wholeness depends on their wellbeing, too.

While we need those day to day acts of love, it’s important to also consider the systems that cause harm to people and the environment. An act of love can also look like developing more sustainable habits whenever possible. Start by bringing a reusable coffee mug to cafes or reusable takeout containers to restaurants. These acts can inspire new ideas and habits. Get creative with old holiday traditions and trade them for ones that are less or zero waste. When we care for the Earth we also care for our neighbors near and far in the process.

I think we are being invited to shed an old way of seeing the world, one that insists we must choose between caring for our own or caring for others. But transformation doesn’t have to be painful. Love acts like a natural lubricant as She softens the process of change, allowing the old skin to fall away so that something new might emerge. All we have to do is be open and choose it. Each time we choose to love beyond boundaries, each time we tend to the vulnerable, and each time we widen our circle of care, we participate in this holy transformation.