Matthew 22: 34- 40
This Sunday the obvious theme of Christian love is pointed out from Jesus in the Gospel. In answer to an inquiry by one of the "scholars of the law" as to which commandment of God (from the 10 Commandments) is the greatest, Jesus correctly answers that we are to love God with our whole "heart, our soul and our mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.
How often have we both heard these solid words, well known to any Jew both in Jesus time and today, as the greatest among the commandments God has given us in the original Covenant on Sinai. How we then apply this commandment to our daily lives as Christians and Catholics makes all the difference in the way we understand and live out our faith.
It is clear from Jesus' words and actions that "love" here does not mean what we so often associate with that overused word. It has nothing to do with emotional reactions or feelings for another person exclusively. It may be applied there but his meaning is far more radical. It implies not only wishing the good of another but the expression of that "love" through compassion, empathy, respect, humility. Ultimately the greatest love is one of self-sacrifice for the sake of another even to give one's life. Jesus model of his ministry and personal sacrifice on the Cross for you and me and all humanity is the most expressive understanding of Christian love and the best framework of our readings this Sunday.
That being said, I wanted to let the information below be the "homily" for this Sunday as I will do so at our Sunday Masses. I'm frankly not totally comfortable with sharing this, only because I know that it may open the door to some personal criticism, yet we must understand for peace of mind that these recent alleged comments by Pope Francis have been misunderstood and misinterpreted by both the secular press, which does not understand Church teaching or tradition and in some cases the more radical Catholic press as well, which have never held much respect for our present Pope. While they have sincere and good intentions, it is most helpful to go to the original source, to the Pope himself, to understand what he said and his intended meaning.
At the end of the short reflection below are two links for two excellent Catholic sources which are balanced and faithful. I recommend that you listen to both and especially the second link is most helpful to understand Pope Francis' words.
Be at peace. All is well even in this strange time.
-----------------------------------
One thing is for certain: 2020 has been a year of weirdness. Last January it seemed all would be well and as normal even despite an upcoming Presidential election. But that hope was dramatically changed for us in early March with the report of a new virus and a potential pandemic. Who would have imagined that our lives would be so dramatically changed since then. So we have the constant mantra of face masks, medical experts, rising and falling "hot spots, " our Churches, schools closed or painfully limited in their activities, etc etc.
Then we live with a very divisive presidential election process, violence in our streets, division and anger. Our faith is tested greatly.
Now we add another "October surprise" in the recent alleged comments of our Holy Father Pope Francis on "civil unions" for same sex attracted couples. What is going on and exactly what is our Holy Father saying? Is he really in support of what we have come to understand as same sex "marriage?"
I think you'll find the link below a great help to understanding how Pope Francis is speaking as a compassionate yet clear minded Pastor of our souls. We continue to have both emails and phone calls here in the parish as I'm sure is happening everywhere.
Let's take a deep breath, relax and walk back a bit first. It is both what our Holy Father is saying in what context he is speaking, and what he is not saying. Click on the link below for an excellent response to help understand and share with well meaning Catholic and non-Catholic family and friends. Peace to you:
https://watch.formed.org/videos/daily-reflections-special-address-from-tim-gray-october-23-2020
This source as well is especially good on translating the Pope's remarks from Spanish (his native tongue in which he spoke) to English, explaining exactly what he said and meant:
https://www.facebook.com/506962566445924/posts/1018242065317969/?vh=e&extid=0
No comments:
Post a Comment