Try not to bind the power

The main thing emphasized in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is that we not get distracted from the Way by secondary or tertiary concerns. The mission of John in Revelations is to restore the fundamental practice of Christians to the seven churches. That characteristic is that “they should know us by our love”. The Christian who has replaced love with judgement or rule making is in need of repentance. The psalmist advises that the company we keep impacts the attitude we have to others. The law of love requires that we not be scoffing, cynical and wicked. Our impact on those who live in these states must be to attract them to love by love. Jericho was a place accursed in Hebrew tradition. Healings were prohibited in the vicinity of that town. The love and mercy of the Divine is not bound by place, time or any temporal boundary. Our actions must not try to bind this power.