23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Simham)

OWN NOTHING BUT LOVE

If you ask me to sum up the whole of Christian Doctrine or religion or Bible into one word, I’ll say it is “love” nothing else. In fact it is Jesus himself who summed up the whole of law and prophets into love of God and love of neighbour. The basic concept underlying all this is love. That is why I say ‘love is the very soul of Christianity.’ Love of God above all things and loving our neighbour as ourselves and above all loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. This is what Christianity is all about. If anyone has not got this, then probably he has not properly understood the religion.

St. Paul understood this essential composite of religion, I mean Christian religion. He writes to Romans 13/8-10, which is our second reading and says “Avoid getting into dept, except the dept of love.” In other words he says “don’t owe anything to anyone except love. Or let love be the only thing you give and receive. Or let love be the only thing that moves you forward or makes you to do the things. Let love be the breathe of your life as Christian. St. John in his epistles also says “He who does not know how to love, does not know God; because God is love.” Yes, dear friends, ‘God is love, he who does not know how to love does not know God.” That is why St. Paul says “owe nothing but love to everyone.”

Now this helps us to understand and appreciate the other two readings we had today. The first reading and the gospel.

In the first reading God says to prophet Ezekiel “Son of man; I appoint you as a sentry, You are a watchman for my people and it your duty to warn or correct people. You are held responsible if you don’t do it. In other words God says to Ezekiel “Because I love my people and I don’t want them to perish I have appointed you as a sentry or watchman for my people. As a sentry it is your duty and as a fellow human being it is your obligation of love. In other words ‘if you love me you will look after my people.’ Refer this to Jesus asking Peter three times after his resurrection, ‘Peter, do you love me; look after my sheep.’ If you love God you will look after his sheep. You will not let them perish, because it is God’s will that none of us should perish but have eternal life. Secondly ‘If you truly love your neighbour as yourself you will not let him perish but live. Because you yourself want to live not perish. So genuine love will not see people perishing but goes out to save them. This is what is said in the first reading. This is a great lesson for parents and God parents. You are in the place of God for your children and grand children. It is your responsibility and duty to teach them, warn them and correct them. Do not shy away from this responsibility. Give them good food, good education and also good religion. It is all your responsibility.

And the Gospel, tells us how to do it. How to warn a person or correct a person. How to save a person who is sinning or perishing. What should be the basis for correction? What should be the method? Again it is love. St. Paul again says in the second reading “Love is the only thing that does not hurt.” That is what Jesus says in the gospel. You aim should be to correct him and bring him back, not to hurt or wound him. So he says Go and talk to him personally. Then take one or two elders with you to convince him. After ward if he is not changing report him to the community. Go an extra mile to save him. If he not listening, then ignore him. Keep away from evil. Look at the amount of gentleness that is asked for. Yes, love is gentle and kind. It does not seek its own glory.

This is what Jesus tells us. Don’t seek your own glory. Don’t let your ego play a part and hurt him. Keep away from biting a tongue. You know what is a biting tongue. A tongue which uses sharp and hurting words to correct. No, it does not always help. It is better to bite your tongue than to have a biting tongue. There is a saying “While it is possible to win the argument, your anger may lose the war.” This is what Jesus is warning us about. Your intention should be not to win a battle but to win over the offender.

So, be kind and gentle. Kindness is a language that the dumb can speak and the deaf understand.

A Persian proverb says a gentle hand may lead an elephant with a single thread. May ours be that gentle hand.

Fr. Showreelu Simham