Word to the Wise
Saturday, January 5, 2013 - Jan. 5 - St. John Neumann, bishop
[1 John 3:11-21 and John 1:43-51]The way we came to know love was thaat he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and rerfuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. [1 John]
The slang expression says we must not just "talk the talk" but "walk the walk." The Letter of John in the first scripture for today takes the challenge of love out of the realm of "talk" and places it squarely in the realm of "walk." The example we are given is that of Jesus himself who laid down his life for us. If we need a further example, we might recall the incident in the Gospel of Luke in which a scholar of the law tries to narrow the class of those whom he had to love. Jesus' response is the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Advent, Christmas/Epiphany season seems to magnify the demands of love! Family feuds get louder and the vast ocean of needs represented in hunger, homelessness and poverty seems to get bigger. But when the Magi have come and gone, and the calendar returns to "ordinary time," we are still challenged to worship in a way that tells the truth about how we love. The words of John should ring in our ears: "let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth." AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
428 ms
4
