WONDERING GURU
Exodus
22:21-27; 1 Thess 1:5-10; Mt 22: 34-40
Fr
Nelson Lobo OFM Cap
Illustration: A story is told of a millionaire that
gave most all he made to the poor. He was once asked why he lived his life this
way and gave so very much to the poor. He said it was because of his father.
One of his earliest memories of his father was when he took him to the circus.
He said he remembers standing in line for what seemed to be hours waiting to buy
the tickets and enter the Big Top. In front of them was a man with his wife and
three small children. You could tell that these people lived a meager life as
was evident by their clothes. As the line advanced the family in front couldn’t
stop talking about how excited they were to see the circus, you could just see
the pride in the father’s eyes that he was taking his family to the circus. Finally they made it to the booth to buy the
tickets. The man said proudly to the cashier, “I will take five tickets
please.” The cashier came back with the price but it was far more than what the
father had planned for. He didn’t have enough money to pay for the tickets. You
could see the proud man’s face change to sadness. The millionaire said what had
happened next is what made him into the man he is today. He said his father dug
into his pocket and pulled out all he had and dropped it on the ground just
behind the other man. He then tapped on the man’s shoulder and said with a
wink, “friend looks like you dropped this.” The father‘s eyes swelled up with
tears as he bent over to pick up the money. He gave a wink back to say thank
you. He was able to take his family to the circus. The millionaire said that
they never made it into the circus that day as his father gave all he had. He
said his father told him that they stood in line for hours to be a blessing.
Twelve times Deuteronomy says we are to love God. In fact, Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 when he gave the most important commandment as "Love the Lord your God with all your heart" (Mark 12:30).
Expectations, we all have
them. how many of us have ever taken the
time to ask what God expects from us? I believe that God has certain expectations
from us. I think, at least in the New Testament, there is at least one of God’s
expectations for us on every page. Here is a partial listing of God’s
expectations for us as Christians: “Do not judge, do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, don’t worry, love your enemies”. “Love the Lord
you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and
“Love your neighbour as yourself.” “Let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Well, maybe it is easy to
love God and be generous and serviceable to God but Jesus says the 2nd
commandment is also important. Loving our neighbour. It’s important but we know
from experience that it is very difficult.
It’s a huge challenge to love our neighbour.
You may remember Beatles
the music sensation of the 60’s, singing "All you need is Love."
There’s no doubt that there was a great truth carried in those simple lyrics.
If we were to look around the world today, it’s clear that a good dose of love
would cure many of the world’s ills. But it’s easier said than done, isn’t it?
I mean we have no problem loving those who are close to us, our family and
friends, but what about those who are different from us?
Luke 10:29 Who is my neighbour?
In other words - "To whom do I owe my love? Is my
neighbour only the person who lives next door to me? Surely, he’s got to be an
Israelite?" There certainly seems to be an implication that some people
are my neighbour and some people aren’t. Writings have been discovered which
tell us that there was an argument between rabbis as to whether Gentile
converts to Judaism could be classed as a "neighbour". Perhaps the
lawyer thought he could get Jesus embroiled in the controversy. So, Jesus comes
up with a beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan. He painted a picture of
someone with:
MERCIFUL LEGS-The
Samaritan was walking the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, notorious for
violence, and known as "the way of blood". It’s so like the world we
live in, but we can’t isolate ourselves from contact with its casualties. Jesus
made the point that his "legs of mercy" took him to "where the
wounded man was".
UNDERSTANDING EYES-The Good Samaritan immediately saw
the need. "When he saw the wounded man" he recognized the need.
A LOVING HEART-Jesus said
that the Samaritan "took pity on him". The compassionate power of the
Samaritan’s heart forced him to do something. A heart full of compassion is
always followed by action. It might result in moving into situations which,
humanly speaking, might be avoided. But the love of Christ breaks down
barriers. The Good Samaritan broke through the racial barrier, putting the
priest and the Levite to shame.
CARING HANDS-The
Samaritan ministered to the victim. Caring is costly. It took time to stop by
the beaten-up man to give him first aid. Caring can cost money & time.
The modern world has changed too much. The society is becoming increasingly
ungrateful and narcissistic. So, we
Christians have challenges in loving our neighbour.
- It is a challenge to love others when they have hurt us. “Give me such love for God and men as will blot out all hatred and bitterness.” Deitrich Bonhoeffer.
- It is a challenge to love others when we have had a bitter life. Our own heartaches and pains sometimes cause us to be slow to love others.
- It is a challenge to love others when they have created their own troubles! “Love is my decision to make your problem my problem.” Robert Schuller. 1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
- It is a challenge to love those with whom we do not agree. “The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy.” D. L. Moody. 1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”
So, my dear brothers and sisters let us love God by
loving our neighbour. For our neighbour too is created in the image and
likeness of God.
“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men
burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of
hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.” -Martin Luther King JR.
👉30th Sunday in Ordinary Time-29th October 2023
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