The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to act in the knowledge that love for one another is the path to fullness of life, the cost of which is assessed with the guidance of the Spirit.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans exhorts us to Love for One Another.
* [13:8–10] When love directs the Christian’s moral decisions, the interest of law in basic concerns, such as familial relationships, sanctity of life, and security of property, is safeguarded (Rom 13:9). Indeed, says Paul, the same applies to any other commandment (Rom 13:9), whether one in the Mosaic code or one drawn up by local magistrates under imperial authority. Love anticipates the purpose of public legislation, namely, to secure the best interests of the citizenry. Since Caesar’s obligation is to punish the wrongdoer (Rom 13:4), the Christian who acts in love is free from all legitimate indictment. (Romans, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)
Psalm 112 praises the Blessings of the Righteous.
* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111.
* [112:3] Righteousness: in the Second Temple period the word acquired the nuance of liberality and almsgiving, cf. Sir 3:30; 7:10; Mt 6:1–4.
* [112:9] His horn: the symbol for vitality and honor. (Psalms, PSALM 112, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents the Cost of Discipleship.
* [14:25–33] This collection of sayings, most of which are peculiar to Luke, focuses on the total dedication necessary for the disciple of Jesus. No attachment to family (Lk 14:26) or possessions (Lk 14:33) can stand in the way of the total commitment demanded of the disciple. Also, acceptance of the call to be a disciple demands readiness to accept persecution and suffering (Lk 14:27) and a realistic assessment of the hardships and costs (Lk 14:28–32).
* [14:26] Hating his father…: cf. the similar saying in Mt 10:37. The disciple’s family must take second place to the absolute dedication involved in following Jesus (see also Lk 9:59–62). (Luke, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Scott McClure urges that the question of attachment is one worthy of some reflection. Is it not good to be attached to one's family? How can I love my family without being attached? St. Ignatius can help us as he addresses this very condition in what is known as the First Principle and Foundation of his Spiritual Exercises.
The goal of our life is to be with God forever.
We should not fix our desires on
health or sickness,
wealth or poverty,
success or failure,
a long life or a short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us
a deeper response to our life in God.Who doesn't want to be healthy, or to have financial stability, success, or long life? Life may be easier with these things, but are they inherently more conducive to our deeper response to our life in God than are sickness, poverty, failure, or a short life? In this life, we are meant to participate with God in the creative power that springs from his love for us. We are part of this ongoing genesis. Whereas our health can enable us to serve God in various ways and thereby participate in his creative power, our sickness and the suffering that comes of it may, in equal measure, arouse our compassion for others who suffer, thereby enabling our greater participation in God's compassionate love for others. Whereas our success may enable us to institute positive change in our community and world, failure may remind us not to become distracted enough to think that our highest aims were ever of this world but, rather, of building up the Kingdom of God. (McClure, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus permits us to love family but not more than God,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.
"He says, 'He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me' (Matthew 10:37). By adding 'more than me,' it is plain that he permits us to love, but not more than we love him. He demands our highest affection for himself and that very correctly. The love of God in those who are perfect in mind has something in it superior both to the honor due to parents and to the natural affection felt for children." (excerpt fromCOMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 105) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 14:25-33 comments on what Jesus means when he talks about “hating” in today’s Gospel (Luke 14:26). The Greek word here is miseo, which can mean to love something or someone less. So when Jesus talks about “hating,” he is not talking about our modern understanding of hate, which implies an intense dislike. He is saying that in comparison to him, everything else pales. He’s urging us to renounce one choice—one “love”—in favor of another (Matthew 10:37).
Putting Jesus first also means “going against the grain” at times. We see how holy Jesus is, and we want to stay close to him. That means we may choose not to participate in something that others around us seem comfortable with, such as gossip. But that doesn’t mean we literally “hate” anyone. It just means that we are staying close to Jesus—and staying true to him, as a husband or wife is true to their spouse.
With all that in mind, let’s put Jesus first today!
“Lord, help me to choose you above all else.” (Meditation on Luke 14:25-33, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the shift in chapter 13 of Romans where Paul underlines our need to love everyone as ourselves. St Augustine understood evil as the absence of love that could be addressed by adding love. Friar Jude urges that we understand that the Gospels were written in a society very different from 21st Century America.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, contrasts this “meritocracy,” the punishment/reward economy of basic capitalism, with what Jesus presents. He calls it a gift economy. In a gift economy, there is no equivalence between what we give and how much we get. We don’t really like this model, because we feel we’ve worked hard to get “what’s ours.” We feel we have earned our rightful social positions.
Yet if we call ourselves Christians, we have to deal with the actual gospel of grace. The only way we can actually understand this is if we’ve had at least one experience of being given to without earning. It’s called forgiveness, unconditional love, and mercy. If we’ve never received unearned, undeserved love, we will stay in the capitalist worldview where 2 + 2 = 4. I put in my 2, I get my 2 back. But we remain very unsure, if not angry, about anything “free,” whether it is free health care (physical, mental, or spiritual) or even free education. These benefits can be seen as natural human rights that sustain peoples’ humanity and dignity, as papal social encyclicals make clear. All too often, though, we only want people in our own group to benefit from health care, education, and bail outs.
The bottom line is that we don’t “deserve” anything, anything! It’s all a gift. Until we have begun to live in the kingdom of God instead of the kingdoms of this world, we will think exactly like the world. To understand the gospel in its radical, transformative power, we have to stop counting, measuring, and weighing. We have to stop saying “I deserve” and deciding who does not deserve. None of us deserves! This daily conversion is hard to do unless we’ve experienced infinite mercy and realize that it’s all a gift—all the time. (Rohr, 2023)
When we assess our plans in union with the Way of Christ, we pray for love, mercy, and compassion to act in tension with the self-serving attitudes of the dominant culture.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/14?25
McClure, S. (2023, November 8). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/110823.html
Meditation on Luke 14:25-33. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/11/08/823439/
Psalms, PSALM 112. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1
Rohr, R. (2023, November 8). The Gospel of Grace — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-gospel-of-grace/
Romans, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/13?8
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The True Cost of Discipleship. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=nov8
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