0598 LOVE YOUR BROTHER (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Cycle A. Ref. Rdgs. 1st. From the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 33:7-9. 2nd. A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 13:8-10. 3rd/Gospel. From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 18:15-20. Responsorial Psalm. Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9) The seven other commandments in the Doxology, outside of the first three ones which command us to love God above all else, can be summed up in this saying: ‘’YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’’ Since, as Paul says, ‘’love does no evil to the neighbour, hence love is the fulfilment of the Law.’’ Indeed God wants us to care for and be concerned about those people around us who need help, all kinds of help, be they physical, material, or spiritual. We have to start within our family, the children, the grandparents, the aunties, and uncles living with us, the house helps and even, yes even, the pets in the house...for they are all creations of the Almighty Creator...where we help to preserve the welL-being of all His created ones so that the interdependence of all on each other would not be disrupted. The first reading from the book of Ezekiel gives us a very strong warning which touches on care and concern for the salvation of the other, our neighbour, whoever he or she is: ‘’If I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked one, you shall surely die,’ and you (Ezekiel) do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his ways, the wicked shall die for his guilt but I will hold you responsible for his death.’’ We are expected to be responsible for each other for we are all connected, linked up, in the name of LOVE in Christ, Jesus. Thus, still from the book of Ezekiel, ‘’But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.’’ There you have it. In John 13:34-35, Jesus speaks of Love, ‘’I give you a new commandment: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’’ Still further, anyone who says He loves God must also love his brother or be called a LIAR, for how could he say he loves God when he does not follow the command of God to love his brother.1Jn 4;20-21. For the love of brother is the measure of one’s love of Christ who identifies Himself in His brother. Mt.25:31-46. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ with Jesus as the head. Any sick or ailing part, just as in the physical human body, will get attention from all the other parts, affected or otherwise, as directed by the brain which sees to its cure or healing. So also, in the Church, as mentioned in the gospel of today, an erring member must be the concern of all members of the Mystical Body, the Church. All efforts must be geared toward his conversion or correction, guiding him or her back to the fold of misdirected insinuations and ways. The Blessed Mother’s words admonish us even some more, (Msg 120, ‘’Pure of Mind, of Heart, of Body’’, To The Priests, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons): ‘’You can always do good and help your neighbour. But for your love to be supernatural and perfect, it must begin with God. Love the Most Holy Trinity with the Heart of my Son, Jesus and among yourselves, love each other as He has loved you. In this way, your love will always be more pure and you will be capable of truly loving your brothers...only he who is chaste of heart can open himself to a great capacity for loving and can live the virtue of charity......it is the pure of heart who can see God and, in His light, UNDERSTAND AND LOVE ALL MEN...’’ WHEN WE CORRECT AN ERRING NEIGHBOUR OR DISSUADE ONE FROM HIS OR HER WICKED WAYS, WE ARE, IN FACT, LOVING THE NEIGHBOUR, FOR WE CARE AND ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIS SALVATION. So LOVE, FOR WE CAN NEVER GO WRONG WHEN WE DO...and so, we repeat what we have said above, from St. Paul, as a conclusion, ‘’LOVE DOES NO EVIL TO THE NEIGHBOUR, HENCE, LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW.’’ Let us pray: O FATHER, GOD OF LOVE AND OF MERCY, YOU EXUDE CARE, CONCERN AND LOVE FOR ALL MEN, GIVE ME THAT SAME LOVE, EVEN AN IOTA OF IT, TO FILL MY SOMETIMES WOODEN HEART. I WISH TO MANIFEST THE PITY AND CARE I FEEL MOST TIMES, FOR THOSE SUFFERING AND IN PAIN, THOSE WALLOWING IN POVERTY AND THE MISERIES OF SCARCITY AND NOTHINGNESS; THOSE WHO DESIRE TO BE LOVED AND BE EMBRACED, AND FEEL THE WARMTH OF CARE AND CONCERN. FOR NOW I KNOW WHY...BECAUSE ALL YOUR CREATIONS ARE BORN OUT OF LOVE, LINKED UP IN LOVE, EXIST IN LOVE IN CHRIST, YOUR SON, WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO YOUR HIGHEST GLORY, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. .mcnol.090714.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 16:12:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015