So many have taken Jesus' words in today's gospel to mean that the Good Lord gives us a pass for everything we do to offend him and to hurt others. The merciful Jesus. The "turn-the-other-cheek" Jesus. The non-judgemental Jesus. Just be loving is all!
Trouble is that Jesus almost never gives us easy choices. He's never simplifying or caving into our silly human ways of looking at things. On the contrary, he reinforces in his words and deeds that glory, salvation, life and happiness come through humility, obedience and suffering.
As our priest, Fr. Augustine reminded us this morning, Jesus tells us today to love as He loved: to love in a divine way. That divine love, it turns out, is not just unconditional, beneficent approval. It means self-sacrifice to the point of annihilating the self. It means suffering. It means humility and obedience to the Father's will. Tall order!
Fr. Augustine explained that though this way of love seems foreign and antithetical to human love--we love because we expect gain or return in some way--Jesus himself tells us that such love is what we must aim for. If it is the way to glorification for him, then it is the key to our happiness here. Happiness = selflessness?
If only we could do it! If only we could be humble and obedient, and to love His laws and His Will! If only we could bear whatever suffering he has for us! If only we would turn to him for help in doing all of this! I pray that all of us leave aside our foolishness and seek only him. What a refuge He is.
No comments:
Post a Comment