Lectionary # 440. Scripture reflection for Thurs of 23rd week.

Scripture: Thurs. of 23rd Week. I Cor.8:1-7,11-13. Psalm 139:1-3,13-14,
23-24. Luke 6:27-38. Lectionary #440:

After the beatitudes and woes, Jesus now has prepared his disciples
and us for the greatest message, the central one of the New Testament. It
is the commandment of love that he interprets in a new way and goes beyond
what has been its interpretation. We are called to love beyond human
considerations--a love that reaches out even to those who hurt, persecute,
and terrorize us. Only through total self-surrender can we live up to this
command of Jesus. In the Gospel of John he shows us his example by washing
the feet of his disciples and then giving them this commandment of love.
Paul learned it, too, probably from the time he spent with Peter in
Jerusalem after his conversion. In Romans he tells us we are even led to
give up our lives for an unjust person. The Paul captures the commandment
of love in his portrait of Jesus in I Cor.13:4-8. We can learn what it
means by putting our own name to each of the ways love is to be lived out.
How can Jesus compel us to do such an unselfish love that goes beyond
what any human could think of? Jesus is sent as the Apostle from the
Father and is the agent of our redemption. His example is compelling
because he is totally human but divine in the revelation of this
commandment of love. His words are spirit and life.
Luke's narrative given to us today leads us to understand how
profound and far reaching is this love precept of Jesus. Luke has prepared
us for this commandment by first telling us Jesus prayed, then he called
his disciples and made them apostles. They were called to do what he does
and to heal, teach, preach and accomplish his mission with him and all the
moreso after his death. The beatitudes give us the necessary spiritual
dispositions or habits of the heart inspired by the words of Jesus to love
with all our heart, soul, mind, and senses. We are to embrace this
commandment of love and extend it to our neighbors and even to those who
hate us. Love of God, unselfish love of ourselves, enables us to love our
neighbors no matter who they are.
Jesus has lived out the Mosaic commandments and his own love
commandment is founded upon them. They are like a hedge around the heart of
his message-- absolute love for the other. This love is totally unselfish
and helps us to go beyond all human calculations both spiritual and
humanistic.
Jesus tells us that God is love, compassionate love: "Be
compassionate, as your Father is compassionate." Paul, too, as the Apostle
to us the Gentiles, lived this out. It is evident in the epistle to the
Corinthians our first reading. Paul is trying to convince the unruly and
proud Corinthians that this is the only way to God. Paul understands this
commandment of love and lives it out in front of all of his communities.
Now he is offering it to the Corinthians and to us as we place ourselves
within his letters. Amen.,