Awe and Wonder…

Homily on the 18^th Sunday after Pentecost

2 Corinthians 9: 6-11; Luke6: 31-36

Many people never have the time or the will to sit in silence and reflect on what a great gift creation is. We are enfleshed souls who, mirroring the Incarnation, have been given the gift of life by our Lord and Creator. We know that we are loved because He came down among us, ministered, and gave His life on the Holy Cross so that we may have life to the full through His Resurrection (cf. John 10:10; Philippians 2:6–8).

Christ is the perfect model of love towards the other. He made it clear in the story of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:25–37) that we are to exercise an extraordinary form of love — a love that seeks not self-gratification but the good of the other. Christianity cannot be reduced to a social justice movement, for it is the revelation of God’s Kingdom on Earth (cf. Luke 17:21). Christians are fed through the graces provided by the Holy Mysteries of the Church and bound together in the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 4:4–6). From this Divine economy comes the command to love one another as Christ loved His people (cf. John 13:34–35).

This is why the Church is not there solely to perform good deeds; more importantly, the Church’s mission is the salvation of souls (cf. Matthew 28:19–20). Christ made it clear to His Holy Apostles that there will always be the poor (cf. Matthew 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8). Whilst works of charity and mercy are important, they are not the whole mission of the Church, for they flow out of the love and graces experienced within her. All are called to be examples of this love and to show the love of Christ to the world (cf. Matthew 5:14–16).

Now, what does it mean to love? Saints and philosophers have pondered this question since mankind was created by the All-Holy Trinity (cf. Genesis 1:26–27). Yet we seem not always the best at expressing this love which we are commanded to show one another.

To paraphrase Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8: have we been patient and kind to others — even if we do not agree with their opinions? Have we resisted envying their successes or good fortune? Have we resisted the urge to shame people when we perceive they have done wrong? Have we resisted the urge to gloat when someone who has done us wrong suffers misfortune? Have we done our best to protect those who are weak and fragile in our community?

Whilst I am sure that you all strive to embody these qualities of love in your lives, doing so can be difficult, for embodying these values can seem to go against our very nature. How then are we to show this love to our neighbours when doing so can seem difficult at times?

Well, the easiest way is to follow the example of our Lord and Saviour. He is the perfect example of Christian conduct for all (cf. 1 Peter 2:21). In fact, in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21–35), He makes it clear that we are not to be like the unforgiving servant, for just as the All-Holy Trinity forgives us our wrongs, we must forgive the wrongs of others (cf. Matthew 6:14–15). This is not to say that once we have forgiven a wrong we must become best friends; rather, at the very least, we must pray for them, for that is one of the greatest acts of charity a Christian can do (cf. Matthew 5:44).

One such person who showed this love was the centurion who had a servant whom he cared about so much that he sought out our Lord and Saviour (cf. Luke 7:1–10; Matthew 8:5–13). In those days, such concern for a servant was very rare, for if one was a slave or servant one was almost considered on the same level as beasts of burden. However, the faith of this man of authority is what Jesus admired. At once, this man — a Gentile — had expressed more faith in the All-Holy Trinity than even the people who were given the first invitation to His heavenly banquet (cf. Luke 14:15–24).

Saint Maximos the Confessor puts it beautifully when he states:

“If you wish not to fall away from the love of God, do not let your brother go to bed feeling irritated with you, and do not go to bed yourself feeling irritated with him. Reconcile yourself with your brother, and then come to Christ with a clear conscience and offer Him your gift of love in earnest prayer (cf. Matt. 5:24). St Paul says that, if we have all the gifts of the Spirit but do not have love, we are no further forward (cf. 1 Cor. 13:2). How assiduous, then, we ought to be in our efforts to acquire this love.”

There we have it: the call to be people of love and forgiveness. We live in a world that has forgotten the power of forgiveness. If we cannot forgive, then we truly cannot love; and if we cannot love, then we cannot say that we love God, for Saint Maximos also says:

“He who loves Me, says the Lord, will keep My commandments (cf. John 14:15, 23); and ‘this is My commandment, that you love one another’ (John 15:12). Thus he who does not love his neighbour fails to keep the commandment, and so cannot love the Lord.”

Therefore, it is vital in our Christian life that we learn to forgive, for not only is it psychologically beneficial, it also sets you spiritually free. For the opposite of love is hate, and hate leads down a dark path which can only lead to the place where there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Matthew 13:42).

Therefore this week, pray for those who have wronged you. Pray that they may come close to their Lord and Saviour and receive the forgiveness and healing which they need to become spiritually healthy and thus able to grow (cf. Ephesians 4:31–32; Colossians 3:12–14).