We People Have To Make It A More Love-Filled World

We people have to make it a more love-filled world...like it or not!



Oct. 23 - XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time


The word "love" - like the quality it represents - is very likely to be misunderstood. We distinguish it from "like" which is an action of the human animal whereas "love" is an action,when fully understood, of the human spirit and especially the human will. Often we can surmise that "like" and "love" are blended in the same situations but there are also times when we are as far from "liking" as we possibly can be. In that situation we can show "love" - a noble action of the human will, leading us to do good to, and treat well, those we have no reason to like.


The First Reading today offers examples if the sort of people we may not naturally like and also the Lord's strictures on those who do not treat these people well. The theory is well known but the world is full of pride and prejudice and racism which shows no signs of going away no matter how much the media tell us about the stress and suffering of unfortunates all over the world.


The Responsorial Psalm is perhaps a little one-sided. " I love,you Lord my strength." Don't we all? How nice it is, usually,to sit or kneel before the Tabernacle and dwell on the goodness of God. But how do we feel (and behave) when we meet that awful woman of a few thousand words who manages to say nothing even after holding us up for ten minutes? Like her? Hardly. Love her, smile sweetly, inquire about her health, her family, her plans ... now, THAT'S love!


St. Paul hits the spot in the Second Reading. He shows his love and appreciation when there is in reality not all that much to like or be happy about. His converts in Thessalonica were, like all the others, delighted to hear parts of the Good News ("the Lord will return soon and we shall be swept up into the air" ) but less happy to be told: " Get to work, you people and stop bothering those who want to work!" St. Paul made both statements but mostly he said something on the lines of the first one, support, encouragement and praise where he might have taken the opposite view. That's an aspect of love: raise our voice once in a while to keep things from really getting out of hand, but mostly emphasize the positive.


In the Gospel, Jesus unites two Commandments: love of God (which we all feel we practice) and love of others (which we all think we practice until we reflect on the facts. Is there an old saying "Love makes the world go around."? True, if we think of the infinite love of God which makes everything happen. True of what we used to call "young love." Not so true of relations among young people any more. More and more ours is becoming a loveless world and it depends on us special people to do what we can to make it better.


~ October 2011 Concord