Father Michael Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 October 25th, 2020 30th Sunday, Ordinary Time Today’s Theme: “Loving God and our Neighbor” A Message from Father †Michael Scripture Note By rabbinical count, “the Law” consisted in 613 commandments. The question as to which commandment was the greatest was one frequently discussed among the rabbis. Jesus was asked to name one, but He responded, naming two, as we hear in today’s Gospel selection (Matthew 22:34-40.) That is because, for Him, the “second” followed directly, and necessarily from the “first.” Loving our neighbor arises from our love for God. Both commandments are found in the Old Testament. But what is “new” is not that Jesus brought these two together, but that He made them of equal importance. The Total Gospel There is a terrible sterility about the lives of those who claim to love God, while, in reality, they dispense themselves from all obligations to love other people. Such people have, at best, only half the Gospel. Others, however, go to the opposite extreme, exhausting themselves, working for a “better world,” but never think of God. Though the latter may well be on “firmer ground” they, too, only have half the Gospel—that some throw away. Christ showed us how to live the total Gospel, that is, how to love God and to love our neighbor as well. He didn’t say they were the same thing, but that we can’t have one without the other. When we accept ourselves as fundamentally “good,” and begin to love ourselves, we will be able to start loving other people, as the Lord commanded. Those who are filled with self-loathing and self-hatred are not going to be able to do that. In fact, they will project those feelings of inadequacy onto others, blaming and castigating them for what they condemn in themselves. The point is this: we often see other people not as they are, but as we are. If we see people in a “bad light,” it’s a sign that we are ill at ease with ourselves. Someone who is not at peace with themselves spreads a kind of contagion all about. There is an idea that love of self is wrong—even sinful. Of course, there exists a form of self-love exists that is, in fact, wrong. We call that “selfishness,” or “egoism.” Self-love that offers to warmth to others is healthy and good, and is found in those who know we love others precisely as we love ourselves. We must possess a respectful love of ourselves, because that is where love starts—but doesn’t end there. All true love of self overflows in the form of love of others and love of God. We find it’s easy to love certain people because they are loveable, themselves. Conversely, it’s difficult to love others who are clearly and obviously flawed. But that is the real test of love. Where there is no love, we must sow love in order to reap love in return. Forget Painful Experiences Memory of suffering can be used in a positive or negative way. We may know what suffering is, and therefore, have no excuse for allowing it to be inflicted on others. On the other hand, we might be of the mind that since we have suffered, we have a right to inflict it upon others. It is said that compassion is not learned without suffering. Yet suffering doesn’t always help people to grow in compassion. It can “harden” people, so much so that they end up inflict their pain on others. It becomes a vicious cycle. Only once in the Old Testament do we find the commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18.) But in no fewer than 37 places can we find the commandment to love the stranger. The “stranger” stands for refugees, exiles, foreigners—in short—anyone in an alien country in which they have no civil rights. The Jews were reminded continually that they themselves were once strangers and exiles in Egypt, dependent on the kindness of others. Once they were settled, they owed kindness to strangers in their midst. We are reminded to remember our past in order not to repeat mistakes that were made. 20th century philosopher and novelist, George Santayana is quoted as having said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”–The Life of Reason, 1905. In his own time, perhaps echoing the wisdom of the Old Testament, he may have observed evils of oppression of the stranger being manifested by those who were formerly oppressed, themselves. The lesson to be learned becomes to never inflict pain of injustice on others, even though one formerly may have been its victim. It’s easy to forget from whence we have come. We may be seeing signs of this in the community of American Catholics. Many have forgotten that not so long ago they were “strangers in a strange land,” subjected to economic and social discrimination. Increasingly, they vote for candidates who spread invective against the poor and the foreigner. In so doing they encourage people with twisted minds to take the next step—violent action against strangers and outsiders. A healthy society can be measured in the way it treats such people. It’s not good enough to merely show them charity. What they need is justice. Forms of Justice in a Modern World Offering some form of governmental welfare on a carte blanche basis to any and all comers is, for some social pundits, the only way a righteous society should operate. However, there is an equally important issue that is often overlooked—accountability. Obviously, if one encounters someone in dire need of basic care, material assistance is of paramount importance. No one would fault lending assistance to someone in peril or danger. However, on a continuing basis, receipt of public largesse can have a deleterious effect on one’s self-worth and self-image, unless a person is given an equally-important activity to perform to earn such a benefit. Well-meaning benefactors need to see such reciprocity with as much import as the welfare itself. It has been demonstrated that those who are not required to “earn their keep,” eventually adopt entitlement as their mainstay. When this occurs, they feel no compunction to contribute to society or build a sense of value within themselves. Such conditions, far from being a ministry of justice, contribute to societal downfall and create a stratum of chronic, systemic abuse of the system. Of key importance in recent times has been the matter of social benefits being made available to illegal immigrants. Irrespective of a position of charity adopted by those with well-meaning intentions toward this group of people, the larger good of our society requires that everyone abide by legal statutes, which are in place to manage proper citizenship. In short, justice is not served by allowing wanton immigration without qualification. Forget Painful Experiences Memory of suffering can be used in a positive or negative way. We may know what suffering is, and therefore, have no excuse for allowing it to be inflicted on others. On the other hand, we might be of the mind that since we have suffered, we have a right to inflict it upon others. It is said that compassion is not learned without suffering. Yet suffering doesn’t always help people to grow in compassion. It can “harden” people, so much so that they end up inflict their pain on others. It becomes a vicious cycle. Only once in the Old Testament do we find the commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18.) But in no fewer than 37 places can we find the commandment to love the stranger. The “stranger” stands for refugees, exiles, foreigners—in short—anyone in an alien country in which they have no civil rights. The Jews were reminded continually that they themselves were once strangers and exiles in Egypt, dependent on the kindness of others. Once they were settled, they owed kindness to strangers in their midst. We are reminded to remember our past in order not to repeat mistakes that were made. 20th century philosopher and novelist, George Santayana is quoted as having said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”–The Life of Reason, 1905. In his own time, perhaps echoing the wisdom of the Old Testament, he may have observed evils of oppression of the stranger being manifested by those who were formerly oppressed, themselves. The lesson to be learned becomes to never inflict pain of injustice on others, even though one formerly may have been its victim. It’s easy to forget from whence we have come. We may be seeing signs of this in the community of American Catholics. Many have forgotten that not so long ago they were “strangers in a strange land,” subjected to economic and social discrimination. Increasingly, they vote for candidates who spread invective against the poor and the foreigner. In so doing they encourage people with twisted minds to take the next step—violent action against strangers and outsiders. A healthy society can be measured in the way it treats such people. It’s not good enough to merely show them charity. What they need is justice. Forms of Justice in a Modern World Offering some form of governmental welfare on a carte blanche basis to any and all comers is, for some social pundits, the only way a righteous society should operate. However, there is an equally important issue that is often overlooked—accountability. Obviously, if one encounters someone in dire need of basic care, material assistance is of paramount importance. No one would fault lending assistance to someone in peril or danger. However, on a continuing basis, receipt of public largesse can have a deleterious effect on one’s self-worth and self-image, unless a person is given an equally-important activity to perform to earn such a benefit. Well-meaning benefactors need to see such reciprocity with as much import as the welfare itself. It has been demonstrated that those who are not required to “earn their keep,” eventually adopt entitlement as their mainstay. When this occurs, they feel no compunction to contribute to society or build a sense of value within themselves. Such conditions, far from being a ministry of justice, contribute to societal downfall and create a stratum of chronic, systemic abuse of the system. Of key importance in recent times has been the matter of social benefits being made available to illegal immigrants. Irrespective of a position of charity adopted by those with well-meaning intentions toward this group of people, the larger good of our society requires that everyone abide by legal statutes, which are in place to manage proper citizenship. In short, justice is not served by allowing wanton immigration without qualification. May God Richly Bless You! To Fall in Love with God is the greatest Romance; to Seek Him is the greatest Adventure; To find Him is the greatest Human Achievement~~St. Augustine To hear a live stream of today's Liturgy of the Word, Click here: https://www.facebook.com/michael.schamp.9/videos/3764064253618054/?d=n God is our Refuge.docx God is our Refuge.mp3 Pastors Letter 10-25-20 Loving God and our Neighbor.docx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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