The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today declare the benefits of being in a Covenant relationship with God even as they challenge us to live in ways that honour our Covenant.
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| Mutual concerns |
An exhortation to obey the Covenant is addressed to the people in the reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.
you will be a people holy to the LORD, your God, as he promised.1
The glories of God’s Law are proclaimed in Psalm 119.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by.2
Jesus teaches us about Love for enemies from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
* [5:43–48] See Lv 19:18. There is no Old Testament commandment demanding hatred of one’s enemy, but the “neighbor” of the love commandment was understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament (Ps 139:19–22) and at Qumran (1QS 9:21) hatred of evil persons is assumed to be right. Jesus extends the love commandment to the enemy and the persecutor. His disciples, as children of God, must imitate the example of their Father, who grants his gifts of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.3
Carol Zuegner finds this particular Gospel comes at a particularly opportune time as her research work is examining ways to help journalists pop those filter bubbles and get people in conflict to talk to each other more about what brings them together than what separates them. The approach is a different one for many journalists as they tend to look for problems and conflicts. What happens if we look for solutions and what we all value?
Today’s Gospel makes me think of how I need that research work to spill into the rest of my life. I am thinking: Assume good intentions of everyone. Be open to people I may not agree with. That person I work with who can put me on edge – assume good intentions when that person offers a comment or asks a question. Be the person to compromise instead of pushing to make sure I win when a compromise helps all of us. Assuming good intentions changes the dynamic. I can feel a letting go of that indignation and superiority. And it’s a good feeling.4
Don Schwager quotes “The gift to love all people - even enemies,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Beg God for the gift to love one another. Love all people, even your enemies, not because they are your brothers and sisters but that they may become such. Love them in order that you may be at all times on fire with love, whether toward those who have become your brothers and sisters or toward your enemies, so that by being beloved they may become your brothers and sisters." (excerpt from Sermon on 1 John 10,7)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48 asks how would we define perfection and where do we think we can find it?
For Jesus, perfection involves loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors (Matthew 5:44).
In many ways, this kind of perfection is much harder than throwing a perfect pass or baking a perfect cake. But at the same time, Jesus promises that everyone, not just the experts of the world, can learn how to love an enemy. It takes practice. It takes humility. And it takes an active relationship with Christ and a willingness to rely on his grace to help us.6
Friar Jude Winkler shares the structure of blessings and curses found in Covenant. Our attention to the brokenness of people reveals symptoms behind behaviour as enemies. Friar Jude reminds us that we are not called to be perfect in keeping small rules but in our striving to practice untainted love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares his summary of Enneagram discussion reminding us, in the words of Jerome D. Lubbe, that we are not one thing; we are complex and multifaceted; we are interconnected. This is a vital paradigm shift. When we consider having access to all nine numbers simultaneously, we increase and expand our capacity for thriving.
Considering what you know of the Enneagram so far, in what numbers do you experience ease, or in Lubbe’s language, sense “efficiency”? Where do you feel less efficient? As a reminder, here are the values Lubbe identifies (as alternatives to “I am” statements):
Eight: I value Autonomy
Nine: I value Serenity
One: I value Justice
Two: I value Appreciation
Three: I value Authenticity
Four: I value Creativity
Five: I value Clarity
Six: I value Guarantees
Seven: I value Experiences [2]7
There are tools discussed today that we can use in our journey to better Love everyone as we strive to make friends out of those we may have perceived as enemies.
References
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