23rd Week, Thursday, Sept 9
Colossians 3:12-17 / Luke 6:27-38
Bear with one another; Forgive as the Lord forgives you.
The fine Singing career of Marvin ended in tragedy on April 1, 1983. Cave His own father shot him to death. Gaye's close friend, author David Ritz, wrote Gaye’s biography a year later. He called it Divided Soul. Gaye was indeed a divided soul. He was part artist and part entertainer, part sinner and part saint, part macho man and part gentleman. Gaye’s childhood was tormented by cruelty inflicted upon him by his father.Commenting on the effect this had on Gaye, Ritz says of his friend: “He really believed in Jesus a lot, but he could never apply the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness to his own father. In the end it destroyed them both.”
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How forgiving are we, especially of injuries inflicted by family or close friends? Lord, teach us to forgive others, especially members of our own family.
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Paul asks his Colossians to express in deeds the life they have received in baptism. The most precious gift they have received is love. Love binds into one in perfect harmony all the virtues they have received and also binds together all Christians as one people of God: they are now one body. They can sing out their love and gratitude to God in songs of thanksgiving.
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When it comes to clothes, we can say that life is too short to wear boring clothes. But that doesn't mean that we can wear whatever clothes we like and go anywhere with them. Because we still have to keep the rule that dressing well is a form of good manners.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul has quite a bit to say about clothes: You should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. And he continues with this: Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. Just as we would wear clothes that matter, then we too should put on those spiritual clothes that will bring out the best in us.
And just as clothes symbolize an identity, our spiritual dressing would show others who we are, that we are children of the Most High. God our Father has clothed us with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and covered us with His love. With these spiritual clothes, we should then be able to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who treat us badly. Just as dressing well is a form of good manners, let us also do the good that God wants of us.
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Love does not rest on sympathies alone. A gospel-love, a love of faith, has no boundaries. One who loves gives more than asked and loves the “unlovable,” including enemies. It does not judge nor condemn, is always ready to be compassionate and forgiving. When we look at all these implications, we have to confess with shame that we are far from this ideal proposed us by our Lord. How far are we in this world the sign of God’s own love?
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Jesus says: "Love your enemies!" Is that possible? Can we have an affection for one who hates us just as we love our dear and near ones? To make enemies our friends is a contradiction in terms. The very words are the opposite of each other. What did Jesus really say? For this we must go back to the sources. Greek has three words for love: 1. Eran: is passionate love, that desires the others for itself. Eros and erotic are the noun and adjective from this verb. 2. Philein: is solicitous love. The love friends have for each other, 3. Agapan: to show goodwill. The love that
makes no distinction. The love that serves, it is not self-seeking. It is the third word that Jesus used. It has nothing to do with emotion or friendship. This love is ready to suffer, turn the other cheek. It gives and lends, is ready to surrender even the cloak, not only the tunic. It prays and blesses. It takes the enemy into the presence of God. It wants to imitate God, who is love. It wants to end strife and establish peace, to create an atmosphere all around, where it is possible to love the other.
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Prayer: God our Father, from whom all good things come and for whom we live, fill us with your own gratuitous love, the one you have shown us in Jesus Christ. Teach us to love and bless even those who curse or maltreat us. Indeed, deepen and widen our limited love, make it without measure, like yours, that we may be called sons and daughters of you, the Most High, our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
