Love What He Loves (Mt 12:28-34)

 

For the ancient Israelites, sacrificing animals on the altar of God was done out of devotion and a foundational commitment to the law.  This ritual also served as the primary means of atoning for sins. This is the background for the conclusion reached by the scribe who wanted to know which is the greatest commandment.  The scribe concludes that love of God and love of neighbor are worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.  Jesus affirms the validity of this conclusion when he says that, “the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Mt 22:40). 

Putting it this way, however, does not make love of God and love of neighbor two separate commandments, each to be carried out in one way or another.  Rather, they are reciprocal commandments such that we love God by loving what he loves—his children and his creation.  This reciprocity inspires St. John to claim that no one can say, “I love God, but hate his brother…for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  This is the commandment that we have from him.  Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1Jn 4:20-21).  Loving God and loving our neighbor are two sides of the same coin.

Love binds us to each other and to God in a dynamic, interconnected relationship.  The result is that whatever we do for the least of his children, we do to and for God himself.  This is the point Jesus makes when he says that “As long as you did it for…the least of my children, you did it for me.”  This is how Jesus equates Himself with each of us as the true object of love.  He unites the “whole human race to Himself as a family through a supernatural solidarity” (Congar).  From that point on, charity becomes the chief mark of discipleship.  All shall know who the disciples of Jesus are by their love for one another (Jn 13:35).

The prophet Isaiah reveals a basic aspect of love for one another when he addresses the kind of fasting that God wants:  “…releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing our bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when we see them, and not turning our backs on our own" (Is 58:6-7).  Isaiah makes plain that loving God means treating his children with justice, respect, and dignity.  We open our hearts and our resources without judgment to those in need, especially our family members (Jl 2:12-13).

We are all equals in a sense because we all need love and concern.  Being loved and loving others is how we survive and thrive in this world.  We are therefore all the least of God’s children in one way or another, at one time or another.  For that reason, love is the overarching moral principle and measure of all that we do to and for each other.  In the words of St. Paul, we are equal “citizens with the holy ones and members of the same household of God” (Ep 2:19).  This is why Jesus invites each of us to express love and compassion for all those in our lives, in our communities, and in the world, especially the least of his children.  

False Gods and True Prophets (Mk 12:1-12; Mt 21:21-46; Lk 20:9-19)

 

The many parables of Jesus served to challenge his audience, especially when their treatment of others jeopardized their participation in the kingdom of God.  The parable of the vineyard is no exception.  This story indicts the chief priests and Pharisees for their unjust and cruel treatment of the prophets who came before Jesus.  The parable also reveals their murderous intentions toward Jesus.  For that reason, the parable ends with a prediction of their ultimate doom.

The failure of the Pharisees was that they did not remain faithful to the one true God.  Instead, they embraced the false god of power and control.  Their illusion resulted in care for the vineyard being given to others.  Today, we realize this responsibility belongs to all those who live in the Spirit of Christ.  Care for the vineyard, that is, care for all of God’s children, is a task for us today as much as it was for those who followed Jesus during his time on earth. 

Since the kingdom of God is not a place in time and space, but the end result of living out the dual principle of love for God and neighbor, Jesus renews his call to follow his way for all generations.  His call remains relevant due to the persistent temptation to reject the true God and follow a false god.  The colossal number of false gods vying for our devotion in today’s milieu makes the call to follow Jesus even more compelling. 

In a sense, Jesus calls us to be his prophets.  A prophet is one who bears witness.  Thus, we are all called to be a prophet of Christ today by virtue of our baptism.  Through baptism, Jesus calls each of us in a special way to bring his message of love and mercy to those around us.  This is the motivation for his instruction to “…make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:18-20).  Each of us answers that call in our own unique way.  In all cases, however, our answer is a sacrament of service that brings the saving presence of Christ to others.

The Holy Spirit works through our service to awaken faith born of an encounter with Christ.  We give witness to Christ as his prophets by loving others in his name.  In turn, we can be sure of receiving the promise Jesus made when he said: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father” (Mt 10:32).  This is our calling.  Our prayer this Lenten season is for the Holy Spirit to help us make good on our calling to be a prophet for Christ.

Revelation and Change Through Encounter (Lk 9:28-36)

 

Many of us have been changed by an encounter with someone or by some event, at times in a profound way.  Such events in our lives are usually not as dramatic as what happened to Peter, James, and John, but they remind us of their experience.  These disciples were profoundly changed by their encounter with Jesus during his transfiguration on the mountain.  Something similar happened to Moses and Elijah during their mountain top experiences as well.  All three stories have meaning for us today because they are about revelation and change through encounter.

The transfiguration of Moses, for example, takes place on Mt. Sinai where the Lord speaks to him and forms a covenant with the Israelites (cf. Ex 34).  During this encounter, the power of God shines on Moses and he is transfigured.  His face becomes radiant because God empowers Moses to speak on his behalf.  Moses is to proclaim the covenant in terms of God’s patience and mercy due to his fidelity and boundless love for his people.

When Moses comes down from the mountain, Aaron and the others see the shining face of Moses, but do not recognize him.  They run away in fear.  Only after Moses calls out to them and they recognize his voice do they listen to him.  They listen because Moses has authority to speak for God, and therefore they agree to do all that God commands through Moses.  For Moses and the Israelites, this is revelation and change through encounter!

Centuries later, Elijah runs and hides on Mount Sinai out of fear for his life.  He believes he failed as a prophet despite his preaching because the Israelites have rejected God.  Now, they want to kill Elijah just as they had killed the prophets who came before.  On the mountain, Elijah looks for consolation from God, but has trouble finding him.  Then, Elijah hears a faint sound and knows he hears the voice of God (I Kings 19:11-12).  God challenges Elijah to go back without fear to finish the work he had been given.  Elijah agrees and returns to the Israelites as a courageous and faithful servant.  For Elijah, this is revelation and change through encounter!

Peter, James and John also react with fear when they see Jesus transfigured on the mountain, but they do not run away.  Rather, they remain steadfast in their faith and trust in Jesus.  Such courage motivates Peter’s proposal to build three tents.  Peter’s inspiration is the Ark of the Covenant used during the Exodus to house the indwelling presence of God.

Peter’s proposal shows that he and the other disciples know they are in the presence of God.  As witnesses to the transfiguration of Jesus, they come to understand that Jesus is God made present.  They also realize that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, as symbolized by the appearance of Moses and Elijah.  For the disciples, this is revelation and change through encounter!

The voice heard near the end of the transfiguration is an echo of the voice heard at the baptism of Jesus: “This is my chosen Son.  Listen to him” (Lk 9:36; Mt 17:5).  This declaration not only reveals the divinity of Jesus by virtue of his relationship to the Father.  It also connects the two experiences of baptism and transfiguration in the person of Jesus. 

This same connection occurs at our own baptism as well.  In baptism, we are formally identified as the beloved of God and welcomed into his family.  We are transformed into a distinguished child of God within our faith community.  Our baptism is thus an encounter that reveals we are loved by God and formally called to love others in his name.  For each of us, baptism is revelation and change through encounter!

Like the Israelites of long ago who had good reason for listening to Moses and his revelation from the “old mountain,” we too have good reason for listening to Jesus and his revelation from the “new mountain.”  Moses spoke on the authority that God granted him, while Jesus speaks on his own authority.  Jesus is therefore the Word of God that must be heard and taken seriously.  When we recognize and listen to the Word of God, and allow that Word to transform our hearts and our way of living, we can expect nothing less than revelation and change through encounter.

There is a difference worth noting, however, between the mountain top experience of Jesus compared to the mountain top experience of Moses and Elijah.  Moses and Elijah each went up the mountain alone, while Jesus took with him three of his closest friends.  They were his friends because they had already come to believe and trust in Jesus.  By asking them to accompany him up the mountain, Jesus shows that he likewise trusts and believes in them and wants to share with them his most private encounter with God.  The disciples and Jesus go together as a faith community.  In and through this community, the disciples experience the transfiguration of Jesus as the presence of God in their lives.

For us today, Lent is an invitation to “go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways” (Is 2:3).  Our journey up the mountain to God’s house of prayer is one that we do not take alone, however.  We journey with others in a faith community.  In our community, the faith of others strengthens our faith, and in turn, our faith strengthens theirs.  Together, we encounter the transfigured Jesus through Word and sacrament to become one with Jesus and one with each other.  United in community, we come to know and experience the love of God, and we are lifted up and made joyful (Is 56:7).  We are transformed into trusted companions of Jesus who longs for his faithful servants to share in his love and union with God.  Life in a faith community is nothing less than revelation and change through encounter!

Not So Fast (Mt 9:14-15)

 

The disciples of John pose a serious question to Jesus about fasting.  Their question reflects a desire to better understand fasting itself.  Why do they fast, but the disciples of Jesus do not?  Jesus gives his typical enigmatic response that couches fasting in the context of mourning.  When he is gone, his disciples will indeed fast, for they will mourn his absence.  We only grieve a loss, so for us today, what is the loss that motivates our fasting during Lent? 

In spiritual terms, we give up something to lose our preoccupation with the physical realm so as to gain a deeper experience and understanding of our spiritual destiny.  In other words, the aim of fasting today is to connect with God in a more authentic, meaningful way.  For this reason, fasting has a long-standing place of honor among the three traditional practices of Lent that have the same purpose.  The other two are prayer and almsgiving.  Jesus has had something to say about how to practice all three. 

When it comes to fasting, for example, Jesus advises those who fast to look fresh and avoid the appearance of fasting.  Then, the father who sees what is hidden will repay what is hidden (Mt 6:16-18).  The prophet Isaiah has more to say about authentic fasting. 

Isaiah says on behalf of the Lord, "This…is the fasting that I wish:  releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).  In other words, we are to open our hearts to those who need us most, most especially our family members (Jl 2:12-13). 

In regard to prayer, when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, he provides what has become the classic model for genuine prayer.  The Lord’s Prayer is a loving and beautiful way to talk openly and honestly with our heavenly Father.  This prayer joins us together in praying for the coming of God's kingdom, for the fulfillment of our needs, and for the forgiveness of our sins.  The Lord’s prayer provides a theological summary of how we are to conduct ourselves in relation to God and to each other.

Jesus himself often went out alone to a secluded place and prayed to his heavenly Father (Lk 5:16; 6:12).  Rarely is the content of his prayer revealed to us, however.  What we do know suggests that, during his prayer, Jesus spoke openly and honestly with his heavenly Father, holding back nothing.  Since he came to do the Father’s will, we can be sure that Jesus spent time in prayer discerning what that might involve and what he must do.  We can do no better than to follow the example of Jesus in our own prayer life.

Jesus also spoke to his disciples about almsgiving.  He offered them the parable of the widow’s mite to illustrate the right attitude in giving money to the poor.  This story makes it clear that the amount of money given is not what counts, but the sincerity of heart with which it is given.  The Psalmist offers another way to apply this practice: "Blessed is he that considers the needy and the poor" (Psalm 40:2).

Notice that the Psalmist says “considers” rather than “gives” to the needy and the poor.  This suggests that almsgiving is more than giving money to the poor.  Almsgiving includes anything done out of genuine charity and sincerity of heart for those in need.  In that sense, every time we support a public policy, for example, or promote a personal practice that addresses the needs of the poor is almsgiving.  In fact, every deed done to benefit our neighbor in the name of Christ is a form of almsgiving.

Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are three traditional Lenten practices that can be applied in many ways.  All it takes is a little imagination—and a simple prayer…sprinkled with a little fasting perhaps…polished off with some sort of almsgiving.