January 27, 2016
The Necessity of Love
Scripture Readings for Sunday, January 31, 2016: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13; Luke 4:21-30
To all,
As I was going over Sunday’s Scripture readings, I was glad to see, as we are moving through 1 Corinthians, that beautiful passage from St. Paul about love. For those of you who have attended weddings, it is a passage that we hear quite often, but I’m glad to find it on a Sunday in Ordinary Time because St. Paul speaks of a love that goes even deeper than the romantic love between a bride and a groom. He’s speaking of Christian love, the love of God for us in Jesus Christ “operating in the human heart,” to quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It would seem presumptuous to expound any further on love when we have such a profound reading on which we can reflect, but I’m taking the risk because our other two readings shed even more light. I think, on love.
In the first part of our reading from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul speaks about the centrality, nay, the necessity, of this kind of love in our lives. He basically tells us that even if we were to do such great things as gain in spiritual knowledge, prophesy and preach, donate to others, and even sacrifice ourselves, but did all these things without love, we would gain nothing! Wow! Think about that! We could be admired by all the world for being such selfless and wise people, but it would all be empty without love!
If we take an honest look at ourselves, I believe we would find that a lot of the time our motives may not be 100% pure. That is why I like the slogan from Twelve Step Programs that says, “Fake it until you make it.” Even though we may not be perfectly motivated now (After all, St. Paul does write: “At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”), we can still act out of love and thereby grow in love by the grace of God.
But at the same time we need to practice love in our lives in order to be true to ourselves and be faithful disciples of Christ, we can’t try to put limits on it in any way. This is what Jesus tells the people in the synagogue at Nazareth in our Gospel reading. The people are astonished by how well Jesus speaks and that He announces that the prophecies of old are coming true, but then it seems that a change comes over them. They remember that they “knew him when,” and they begin to turn away from acceptance of what He’s saying. And so Jesus reminds them of what happens to prophets in their “native place,” and reminds them that God’s love and power are not limited to the people of Israel. Of course, they get angry at this, and try to kill Jesus right then and there. We, too, have to remember that God’s love is not limited to people of a particular culture or country or set of beliefs. Whatever you might think of what’s going to happen on Judgment Day, God’s love extends to all.
And so our love is to extend to all. The Iowa caucuses are next week, and the primary season for selecting Presidential candidates will begin in earnest. Can we carry this out in love? People want to see people punished for what has happened in Flint, and I cannot say they are wrong, but is it possible to do all this in the context of love? Could we even work against terrorism with love instead of vengeance? It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Maybe it is crazy. But I think that even when God told Jeremiah (see our first reading) that he would make him “a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land;” and that “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you,” that He was not speaking out of hatred for His people, but out of love, otherwise He would not have sent them a prophet to tell them the truth.
Jesus did not only talk about love, He died on the Cross. Paul not only wrote so eloquently about love, he was martyred for his faith. He may not have practiced it perfectly, either, but he gave of himself to others. As we consider, in the name of prudence and justice, what kind of reasonable limits we should put on love, maybe we need to remember this from St. Paul: “Love never fails.”
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
January 14, 2016
What Sign Are You?
Scripture Readings for Sunday, January 17, 2016: Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11
To all,
When I’m on Facebook, I see a lot of people using emoji’s or emoticons to give a shorthand sign of how they’re feeling about things. I really haven’t gotten used to using them much myself, but it’s interesting to see how many of them are out there now. In some ways, their use, I guess, is a desire to continue to shorten the time it takes to express oneself. But in another way, their use, I think, demonstrates a need to make sure one’s voice is heard, especially when you consider how dramatic some of those emoji’s are.
In our Gospel reading for Sunday from John, we hear the account of Jesus at a wedding in Cana. He is there with His disciples, and His mother, Mary. As you may remember, the wedding at Cana is where Jesus turned water into wine so that the wedding party would not run out. At the end of his account, the evangelist John writes, “Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”
In His Gospel, John uses the term “signs” quite often. The signs that Jesus does throughout the Gospel are ways that God expresses Himself about who Jesus is, and about how much we are loved, even to the point of Jesus dying on the Cross for us!
The question that arises for us, is what signs of God’s love are we willing to have Jesus work through us? Can 2016 be the “beginning” or the continuation of His signs in us, so as to reveal His glory and His love? There are many ways that Jesus can work His signs in us. As St. Paul writes in our second reading from 1 Corinthians: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”
I don’t believe these signs or “manifestations” have to be larger than life or earth-shattering. The important thing is that they’re real. Since Monday is M L King Day in the U.S., perhaps we could be a sign of God’s love for all by listening to the story of one who may be different from us. Or perhaps we could be a sign of “the manifestation of the Spirit” being given to each one by affirming the gifts of someone else, letting go of whatever envy there may be in us, and thanking God for the gifts He has given us!
In our first reading from Isaiah, the prophet says: “No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’ and your land ‘Espoused.’ … For the Lord delights in you and makes your land his spouse.” We could be a sign of God’s delight by sharing the joy we have in Jesus. Or we could be a sign of God’s faithfulness by thanking Him for all He has done for us.
As I mentioned before, people seem to use emoji’s to bring the point home about how they’re feeling. Can we sense God’s urgency in wanting to use us to tell the world about His love for them in Jesus Christ! We may not be as “in your face” as emoji’s tend to be, but at the same time we want to be signs that people can see.
Jesus may have not turned water into wine for us, but He has given of Himself to set us free from slavery to sin and fear of death! May we listen to the words Mary says to the servants at the wedding: “Do whatever he tells you.” And may we be the signs God wants to give the world of His love.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
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