31st Week, Wednesday, Nov 8
Romans 13:8-10 / Luke 14:25-33
Paul sums up the commandments; Love your neighbor as yourself.
Years ago, when expressways and motels were unheard of, a cloudburst stranded a newlywed couple on a country road. They walked to a nearby farmhouse, where an elderly couple invited them in and gave them a room for the night. The next morning the newlyweds got up early and prepared to leave quietly, without disturbing the old couple. When they reached the living room, they found the old couple asleep in chairs. Their elderly hosts had given the newlyweds their only bedroom. The young man returned to the bedroom and put another five-dollar bill next to the first one he had left.
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How graciously do we share what we have with others-even with total strangers? “The rabbis had a saying that the best kind of giving was when the giver did not know to whom he was giving and the receiver did not know from whom he was receiving.” William Barclay
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St. Augustine said: “Love and do what you want,” not to declare that in the name of love anything goes, but that if we truly love, then, we are ready to give our all to God and our neighbor. We will know what is right. And when love is no longer authentic, we will know too, and do what is to be done to remain faithful. This genuine love must be ready to follow Jesus without reservations.
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To express some spiritual realities, it may be helpful to use ordinary and understandable everyday life experiences and realities. When St. Paul wanted to talk about sin and its consequences, he used the idea of debt as an analogy. He put it in such a way that when we sin, we owe God something. Maybe that is where we get this idea that we will have to pay for our sins.
Today's 1st reading tells us to avoid getting into debt. It means that we must not owe anyone money or borrow things without returning it back. It also means that we must avoid getting into sin and to "owe" God an explanation for not keeping His commandments. And we know what God's commandments are. And we also know that they are not impossible to keep. And we also know that to love God and love neighbour will be for our good and our salvation.
Yes, we know that in keeping God's commandments we live in the freedom of truth and love. When we sin, we not only put ourselves in debt, we also do not know the cost of our sins. Hence Jesus tells us in the gospel to "work out the costs". If we have a sinful intention or motive, do we know what is the cost and can we ever pay it?
The debt of sin is painful and destructive. But the debt of love cannot hurt anyone because it is the answer to every one of the commandments. Hence, let us continue to love God and our neighbour.
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When Jesus speaks of “hating” family members and one's own life, he is using a typical form of exaggeration in the interest of emphasis. We know well that any form of hatred of others is excluded in Christ’s ethics. What is true is that the pain of separation will be part of the disciple’s adherence to Jesus. It is as inescapable as is cross-bearing. In discipleship, one must persevere and stay the course. Therefore, it pays to weigh the likely consequences before undertaking the task. It is much the same as constructing a tower or waging a war. Without preliminary planning, one may easily find oneself unequal to the task of successful completion.
Paul can readily say that love is the fulfillment of the law. Christ himself has placed love as the foremost of die commandments. The commandments of the Decalogue—against, for example, adultery, murder, or theft—are all rooted in the love of neighbor. In short, if one places the love of neighbor at the center of one’s life, other elements of true Christian living will follow.
It is unfortunate that we attach gravity to many sins but brush violations of charity off as being insignificant. There is no virtue that the scriptures treat that even approximates the importance of love. When we think of the harm that is done and the pain inflicted by unkind speech and action, we realize that such actions carry considerable weight. In building our tower or waging our war, an ongoing and patient assessment is always necessary.
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Jesus stresses that Christians must follow Jesus radically and consistently. They must know what they are doing. They may not stop halfway but must look ahead. They must take their Christianity seriously.
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Prayer
God our Father, we have accepted your invitation to follow your Son Jesus, as his disciples. We do not know what the future has in store yet we are willing to live in hope and joy. without fear or discouragement. Give us the strength of your Spirit to take our faith seriously and to accept our task in life with all its consequences. For we are certain Jesus will lead us to you, our loving God, forever and ever. Amen
