Reflection
Jesus did what the 10 Commandments can’t do … establish a
relationship with the believer. At the
start of today’s Gospel, Jesus recites a rather robotic list of laws. Laws can’t love another person, but a living Person
can. It is Good News that Jesus moves
the believer out of an over-emphasis on right-vs-wrong (kind of like
Presidential debates), and does what cold commandments can never do: look back in relationship, and love.
Thus being freed from “the list,” Jesus invites a creative
response, such as: going out to others, giving away the excesses of life, and following
Jesus in His next steps. It seems this freedom
opens up a hornet’s nest of further discussion and argument (which happens in
the second half of the Gospel reading). Good! Such is the nature of a personal
relationship: people work out next steps
with one another based on the law of love. Struggling with Jesus is a great form or prayer.
So, today's Gospel urges us to value human persons, despite the differences, despite how hard a call it might be, despite the arguments and struggles. Which relationships in your life need to be reignited with a
good argument or some hard questions? Look
at that person in your imagination, as Jesus did for real, and see what comes
from the invitation to love your enemy. Fear
not, Jesus would say, one sign that your Christian life is alive and well is
that you have followed the Lord drawing closer to another human being. That example is a healthy step forward.
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