Love as a Way of Life
The
Fifteenth Sunday of The Year: July 10, 2016 (Year C)
Inventory
The Sacramentary
(missal used on the altar) introduces the Opening
Prayer with the words “Let us pray,” and in parentheses: “that the Gospel
may be our rule of life.” What is a rule of life? Would you say the Gospel is
your “rule of life”?
The Entrance
Antiphon says that if we “see your
face, O Lord,” then our “joy will be
full” (Psalm 16). Are you following a “rule of life” in order to arrive at
this?
Input
The Mass prayers all speak of forward motion: of
guidance and growing. Both options for the Opening
Prayer ask that the “light of truth” might “guide us” — to the “way of Christ”
and to “the kingdom.” So a “rule of life” must be something we consciously
follow in order to get somewhere we have consciously chosen to go, or to become
something we have consciously chosen to be. In the alternative Opening Prayer we ask: “May your love make us what you have called us to be.” So a Christian rule of
life must be God’s light guiding us to love as God loves, so that we might
become what God calls us to be. The question is, do we consciously look to his
light and to his love as our guiding rule in all we do, choose and desire?
In the Prayer
Over the Gifts we ask that we might grow “in holiness and [in the light of]
faith”; and in the Prayer After Communion
we ask that God’s “saving love” might “grow within us.” Consistently, the focus
remains on light and love, on discipleship and ministry.
In practice, however, how do we make these our “rule of life”?
The Responsorial
Psalm, which on Sundays always provides the key to the first reading and
the Gospel, suggests a first step: “Turn
to the Lord in your need, and you will live” (Psalm 69). Our first move
should be to ask God for direction.
Read the
Instructions
In Deuteronomy
30: 10-14 Moses tells the people they have a rule of life ready to hand:
God’s “commandments and statutes that are written in the book of the law.”
This, he says, is not something “up in the sky” or “across the sea.” “No, it is
something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts. You only
have to carry it out.” Study and do.
God’s laws are the “manufacturer’s instructions”
for getting the most out of the human nature he designed and gave us. But too
often we think of them as restrictive or just don’t think about them deeply at
all. As someone said, “When all else fails, read the instructions!” What is
“failing” in your life? “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will
live”
One simple
rule
In Luke
10: 25-37 it is Jesus himself who offers God’s law as a rule of life. A
lawyer asked him, “What must I do to inherit everlasting life,” and Jesus
answered, “What is written in the law?”
The lawyer was a practical man. He knew it is
hard to base one’s life on a long set of prescriptions. So, as Jesus himself
did elsewhere, he summarized the whole law in two principles: “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:
35-40).
A principle is a guideline, but it does not tell
us what to do — just how to figure out what to do. So the lawyer asked for more
details. Then Jesus told the story of the “good Samaritan.”
The story teaches us, first, that the best sign
we are loving God is loving our neighbor. St. Teresa, in her treatment of the
mystical “espousals,” describes “one to whom God is truly betrothed” as “one
who is already determined to do his will
in everything.”
But how do we know we are truly surrendered to
God’s will? It is certainly not enough just to say, “Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven!” That petition has to become the deep, directing desire
behind everything we do, our “rule of life.” Teresa makes it simple: “The Lord
asks of us only two things: love of his Majesty and love of our neighbor.” And
even simpler:
The most certain sign…
of whether or not we are observing these two laws is whether we observe well
the love of neighbor. We cannot know whether or not we love God, although there
are strong indications for recognizing that we do love him; but we can know
whether we love our neighbor.
This is not mere, humanistic do-good-ism. Teresa
adds, “We will not reach perfection in the love of neighbor if that love
doesn’t rise from love of God as its root.” If we arrive at constant, habitual
and authentic, graced love of neighbor we will experience the deeper mystery of
our graced surrender to God (The Interior
Castle, Fifth and “Sixth “Dwelling Places,” ch. 4, nos. 3- 4; ch. 10,
no.8).
Jesus’ story teaches us that love of neighbor
means active ministry. We do something to respond to others’
needs. And we do this without regard for racial, national or cultural
differences. The model in Jesus’ story was a Samaritan, an outcast to the Jews.
Can you make helping others your rule
of life? This is to live out your baptismal consecration as priest.
Focus on
Jesus
Colossians
1: 15-20 centers
us on Jesus. Our true rule of life is to be
Christ: to act “in him” and let him act in us in everything we do. But the
mystery of Jesus is unfathomable. We can spend the rest of our lives reflecting
on what Paul says about him in this reading.
We need to add discipleship to our rule of life: to let “the light of truth guide
us to the way of Christ.” Light leads to love, and love to more light. “Turn to the Lord” for light to love, and you will live.”
Insight
Can I adopt ministry and discipleship
as a way of life? What more would I add?
Initiative
Read Scripture every day; then focus on showing
love to every person you meet. For example, make a point of talking to the person who scans your groceries or serves you at a restaurant.
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