Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - Wednesday in the 31th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 13:8-10 and Luke 14:25-33,1111]Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law......Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. [Romans]
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 BL. ALPHONSUS NAVARRETE, OP, AND COMPANIONS - (Dominican Martyrs in Japan]
One might wonder if what St. Paul discovered on the road to Damascus years before he wrote the words above was love! It would be a good exercise to read his words about love in his First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, which were written earlier than the one to the Romans.
On retreats, I challenge the retreatants to do a history of love in their lives. This can reveal a great deal about our expectations! For some, the only words they seem to remember is the "better", the "richer", and the "health" part of a marriage vow. The "worse", the "poorer," and the "sickness" aren't part of love. The expression "tough love" is just as much a part of the experience as "tender love." Jesus tells us that love of God and neighbor is the greatest of all the commandments from God. Do we love God when things aren't going well? Do we still love our neighbor when they disappoint or hurt us? In the ordinary course of events, this will happen.
The link between forgiveness and love is a close one. The link between love and justice is also a close one. Recognizing that love or God and neighbor is not just a warm fuzzy thing can bring us into the depths of Christ's love for us and our love for our neighbor! AMEN