DAILY HOMILIES #Love

Today, Jesus wants us to know He is more pleased with our reconciliation with others than our offerings. Just as our gifts to God are expensive, forgiveness is also costly. Forgiving others can be painful if the person refuses to acknowledge their fault. However, this pain is worth it because it is pleasing to God and it purifies our hearts from unnecessary burdens.

For all those times, Peter would have to suffer; the only thing that would keep him going is the memory of his triple “yes” to Jesus’ question. Love is patient and kind; love takes no record of records; love never ends; love never gives up.

The world hates Christians because it sees a reflection of Christ in them. “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19). The world prefers darkness to light. Evil is always more attractive than good.

It is one thing to call a person your friend, but a different thing for them to recognise you as their friend. God considers us His friends, but how many of us relate to God as His true friends? In other words, how many of us are faithful to God’s commandments? How many of us love others as much as God loves us? What does it mean to love one another as God has loved us? It means that we pour ourselves out for the good of our fellow brothers and sisters. To love like God is to be a Prodigal Father ready to forgive as many as seventy-seven times seven times.

In a world of growing injustices, violence unleashed on innocent citizens, leaders refusing to rise to their responsibilities, and in a world where Christians are victims of unprovoked attacks, one is tempted to wonder if Jesus was right when he preached love in place of hate. If hating others (revenge) could make us joyful, Jesus would have recommended it. The fullness of joy we desire will not come from hating (destroying) others but from loving our neighbours and enemies as ourselves.

Jesus is saying, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ While the previous commandment depends on yourself, this new commandment is based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. The newness of this commandment is that even if you don’t love yourself, you should try to love others by sacrificing for them.

The last line of today’ First Reading states: “Then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.” (Acts 5:41) The early Christian Church understood completely that following Christ meant denying themselves and taking up their crosses daily. (Cf. Mat. 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). They succeeded largely because their love for God was not predicated on material prosperity but on the hope of eternal glory. They were willing to store treasures in heaven where moths and rust could not consume them and thieves could not break in and steal. (Cf. Matt 6:19)

Anytime we reflect on the earliest Christian communities, as we have them in the Acts of the Apostles, we cannot help but feel sad at the situation in our churches today. The principle at work back then was: “When one member suffers, all suffer with him or her.” Does this principle still operate in our churches today? Do we still gather to pray for ourselves? Or have we become too busy to pray? Do we still have faith in the power of prayer?

Jesus described Godly perfection as loving our enemies, praying for our persecutors, letting our rain (kindness) and sun (warmth) fall on our friends and foes, and greeting unfriendly persons. Godly perfection is to return blessings for curses, food items for stones, and good deeds for harsh treatment.

Right there on the cross, Jesus was able to summon the courage to say: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). In praying like this, Jesus proved himself as the “Son of David” – a man who had the chance of killing his persecutor, Saul but refused. In praying for forgiveness for His enemies, Jesus gave us, His followers, an example. In words and deeds, Jesus, by His very life, taught us to love our enemies.

Yes, friends walk away from your life, and even your closest allies fail you, but the family remains to the very end. Even when others betray and deny you, somehow you feel at peace because you know your family has your back. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says: “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:35). Considering what Dolly Patton says about family, Jesus’ statement cannot be taken for granted.

In today’s Gospel passage, we find the height of this wickedness when the Pharisees watched Jesus to see whether or not He would heal a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath day. Jesus asked them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or harm, to save life or kill?” But they were silent. They knew healing this man was not against the Sabbath Law but were too ashamed to admit the truth. Like these Pharisees, we could become blinded by hatred for certain persons and no longer understand the reasons for God’s laws.