Love Above All Things.
Dear Parishioners,
We continue to reflect on Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount as it unfolds for us in Sunday liturgy. Jesus is deliberately expanding the Mosaic Law, making it accessible to everyone. He brings out the spirit of the law and its effects on our daily lives. It is not just about keeping old rituals and regulating moral codes; rather it calls for holiness and evokes unlimited forgiveness and boundless charity.
Jesus gives a new directive “so be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.” It is like the precept given to Moses. They both demand our imitation of God’s holiness. The thought of holiness is often foreign to us and in many cases seems inaccessible. Our frequent falls and broken promises make it even more difficult to believe that we are capable of this invitation to be holy. Precisely, that is the command that Jesus lays before us today. This is the new Christian way of life that Jesus presents to those who choose to follow. It reflects the mirror of God’s holiness. Therefore, it will serve as a measuring stick for how to practice this new-found faith.
The love of God is what makes it possible to love our neighbors and avoid retaliations when we are offended. It changes our perception and attitude about how we deal with friends and foes. There is no room for discrimination because we are called to love and care in the manner God does. None of this is remotely possible without an intimate relationship with God, who is our Father.
Yes, it is easy to love those who are good to us. But Jesus pushes us to go further and love those who are hostile to us and those we deem unlovable. He insists that our response to personal assaults and injury should be non-violent and non-aggressive. This kind of lifestyle supersedes any known ethic or way of life in society. It is new, it is challenging, and it is bold. The only response expected of us is love.
This is what it means to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” I know that this mentality seems so unreal. It seems to place an undue burden on the believer. It seems to take out the “rights” of the human person. It also seems to empower the bullies and exploit the weak. God’s wisdom is certainly different from ours.
St. Paul helps us understand what Jesus is communicating to us. He reminds us that we are temples of God, and that God abides in those who believe and share in his wisdom. He reminds us that we belong to Christ; therefore, everything we possess belongs to Christ. In return, Christ takes complete possession of us. If anyone chooses to be contrary to what he truly is, he contradicts the presence of the Spirit within him.
Going against the Spirit brings discord within. It separates us from God and creates disharmony among neighbors. In essence, Jesus is offering us an insight on the holiness of God. It means that we give up our false securities and abandon ourselves to God. Only then can we participate in God’s holiness. This is the recreation that the Spirit brings to those who look forward to the kingdom that Jesus offers.
May Jesus Christ be our strength as we strive to love God and neighbor.
Grace and Peace To You ,
Fr. Vitalis Anyanike, Pastor
