The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our desire to act on the Love we have experienced in our relationship with Christ.
Acting in Love
The reading from the Book of Ruth begins the story of Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth.
* [1:1–2] Back in the time of the judges: the story looks back three generations before King David (4:17) into the time of the tribal confederation described in the Book of Judges. David’s Moabite connections are implied in 1 Sm 22:3–4. Bethlehem of Judah: Bethlehem, a town in which part of the Judean clan-division called Ephrathah lived; cf. 1 Chr 2:50–51; 4:4; Mi 5:1. Jos 19:15 mentions a different Bethlehem in the north. The plateau of Moab: on the east side of the Jordan valley rift, where the hills facing west get more rain, and where agricultural conditions differ from those in Judah. Ephrathites: a reminder of David’s origins; cf. Mi 5:1.1
Psalm 146 is praise for God’s Help.
* [Psalm 146] A hymn of someone who has learned there is no other source of strength except the merciful God. Only God, not mortal human beings (Ps 146:3–4), can help vulnerable and oppressed people (Ps 146:5–9). The first of the five hymns that conclude the Psalter.2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reminds the Pharisees of the Greatest Commandment.
* [22:39] Jesus goes beyond the extent of the question put to him and joins to the greatest and the first commandment a second, that of love of neighbor, Lv 19:18; see note on Mt 19:18–19. This combination of the two commandments may already have been made in Judaism. * [22:40] The double commandment is the source from which the whole law and the prophets are derived.3
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that we cannot do anything with “allness”, because we cannot give what we do not have. Our selfishness, so natural to us, prevents our even giving all that we do possess. This is the cause of Christian “Spiritual inferiority.”
We cannot love God, neighbor, spouses, puppies or anyone or anything totally, whole-heartedly. Thus we miss the mark; we, it seems, are not “totally” His followers. We are invited to love ourselves as God loves us in Jesus. We are invited to allow the Christ-loved self to go and extend that love to our “neighbor” as well as we can. The Pharisees didn’t appreciate that second part of Jesus’ response and we can pray gracefully with our response as well. I cannot love whom I do not know. Loving begins with the risks of climbing over self-established fences made precisely to separate us from “those who are different from us and so frightening to us.” Today I reflect that Jesus would say, “Love God Who loves the different, including me.” We are all more than His neighbor!4
Don Schwager quotes “Loving God with heart, mind, and soul,“ by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"Worthy is he, confirmed in all his gifts, who exults in the wisdom of God, having a heart full of the love of God, and a soul completely enlightened by the lamp of knowledge and a mind filled with the word of God. It follows then that all such gifts truly come from God. He would understand that all the law and the prophets are in some way a part of the wisdom and knowledge of God. He would understand that all the law and the prophets depend upon and adhere to the principle of the love of the Lord God and of neighbor and that the perfection of piety consists in love." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22 asks us to remember that Ruth was a Gentile—an alien whom many Jews would have considered unclean. She was also a widow, which put her at the lowest rung on the ladder of Israelite society. But that’s the whole point of this story: God’s blessings are for everyone.
Is there an area of life in which you are struggling? Maybe, like Ruth, you have experienced the loss of home or family. Maybe it’s something a little less dire, but it still weighs on you. Whatever it is, surrender it to the Lord. Tell him that you trust in him to take care of you. Even when it’s a struggle, keep turning to him and seeking his grace. And don’t forget that trusting in God means taking action as well—just as Ruth did! It means stepping out in faith and believing that, even if you make a wrong turn, God will guide you and help you along the way. “Father, help me to believe in your goodness. Lord, I want to trust you and follow you in faith.”6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the dangerous position of Naomi in Moab territory and the faithfulness of Ruth to her mother-in-law. Ruth is given a full presentation as an apologia in the time of David. Friar Jude reminds us of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of Jesus teaching on the Great Commandment.
A post on the Franciscan Media website about Saint Bernard comments that Western Europe’s “man of the twelfth century,” without doubt or controversy, had to be Bernard of Clairvaux. Adviser of popes, preacher of the Second Crusade, defender of the faith, healer of a schism, reformer of a monastic Order, Scripture scholar, theologian, and eloquent preacher: any one of these titles would distinguish an ordinary man. Yet Bernard was all of these—and he still retained a burning desire to return to the hidden monastic life of his younger days.
Bernard’s life in the Church was more active than we can imagine possible today. His efforts produced far-reaching results. But he knew that they would have availed little without the many hours of prayer and contemplation that brought him strength and heavenly direction. His life was characterized by a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. His sermons and books about Mary are still the standard of Marian theology.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that few of us feel called to be formal or fine artists, but all of us are called to be creators. Each of us is called to bring creativity, purpose, and passion to our vocation, no matter what it is. Artist and author Julia Cameron reminds us that we will know what is ours to do when we are open to the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit in service to others. In action, the Spirit guides us to live the Greatest Commandment.
References
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