Today is the thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In today’s Gospel Jesus is asked which of the Mosaic laws is the most important. This was a kind of game or exercise posed to Rabbi’s at that time. Jesus answered that loving God with everything (heart, soul, mind and strength) was the most important but then He went on to say loving our neighbor as ourselves is second.
In Luke’s version of this event the scholar of the law who asked the original question responds to Jesus by asking who our neighbors are. Jesus gives him, and us, the parable of the Good Samaritan.
I think this is an especially good time for us to consider this idea of neighbor and how we are to treat them. Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear knows how divided our country is politically. Whichever side you fall on you likely wonder how in the world people can support the other side. I think it’s important to get past that and just accept that it is.
What is more important, I think, is to consider how we are to treat those we disagree with, even those who hate us for our positions. We might have people who consider us their enemy.
Let’s start by acknowledging that we can’t control anyone except ourselves. Having said that how do we treat others, even enemies? We love them. Remember that our definition of love comes from St. Thomas Aquinas who said love is willing the good of the other. In other words, we want what’s best for those we love without regard for what’s in it for us.
Love Story, a famous book and movie from 1970, famously said “love means never having to say you’re sorry”. I’m not so sure about that. That seems a recipe for relationship problems. What I think Jesus wants us to do is to consider everyone our neighbor and to pray for those who hate us. Conversely, it’s a really dark spiritual place for those who follow the God of Love if we hate others or make them our enemy, especially if it’s over some disagreement.
We live in a time of extremes. As Christians we’re called to offer an extreme love, a kind of love that is difficult for us when it isn’t reciprocated. Let’s all try to imitate Jesus in how He loved us. Let’s love those who hate us and make sure we don’t get caught up in the never ending cycle of retribution and hate that destroys us and others. That is not the path to Heaven. We have to be better than that.
I hope you have all either voted early or plan to vote Tuesday. Pope Francis laid out that we have to decide the lesser of the evils we’re faced with. We all have to do that but we also need to respect those who choose differently. We’re all Americans. We need to bring Christ’s commandments to bear on our relationships with each other, even with those we profoundly disagree with.
Late Sunday afternoon I saw this letter from Bishop Fabre of the Diocese of Charleston, SC . His letter on voting is very much what I’m thinking. I encourage you to read it. https://charlestondiocese.org/bishop-jacques-fabre-jeune-cs/statements/
Finally, I hope you’ll pray for our country now and after the election. Regardless of what happens our country needs our prayers.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace, Bob
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