THE ONE LOVE
Meditation
for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
(Deut
30:10-14; Col 1:15-20; Lk 10:25-37)
Love is in the heart; the heart is where love resides! The promptings
of our heart will always follow the direction of our love. And it is what we
love that we allow to influence us. Love is that unique difference that defines
and sets Christians apart. Picking interest and acting on something can evoke
our love towards it.
In the first reading, Moses explains that keeping God’s
commandments will turn one’s heart and soul to Him. To turn one’s heart and
soul to God is to love Him. And he who loves God will derive joy in obeying His
commands and ordinances (1 Jn 5:3; Ps 19:7-8). Moses says, God’s commandments
are not far off. They are near and within. “But the word is very near you; it
is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” That means the commandments
of the Lord are INCARNATED among us! In other words, the divine law is not
foreign to our lives; it is lived out in the one expression of our lives.
Since the divine rule is within us and is part of our life,
it becomes self-contradictory for one not to live according to the commandments
of God. And such disobedience will definitely bring confusion and disorder to
the individual and to those affected by his actions. But we see in Jesus one
who was like us in all things but sin (Heb 4:15). The Second reading described
Him as “The image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” In Jesus,
the divine law found its perfect and complete fulfilment (Mt 5:17). That means
the human actions of Jesus were at the same time expressions of the divine
will. Thus, Jesus is exalted as the One in whom all things hold together, “For
in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to
reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by
the blood of His cross.”
Therefore, in Jesus the divine law is now alive among us. Our
heart and soul can now be energized by the divine will as we relate with Jesus
and commune with Him. That love that unites Jesus and the faithful satisfies
all the requirements of the law. In this love, the human heart and soul are
lifted up to Jesus, and the divine will find expression in human action. Then,
love becomes the law that fulfills all the ordinances of the Lord (Jn 13:34). That is why the question, ‘how one can inherit
eternal life?’ or ‘how one can earn heavenly blessings?’ is answered by love!
Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor
as yourself.”
Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to show that ‘my
neighbor’ is anyone who is in need of my love and care. The act of compassion
and charity is what defines neighbors! As the Samaritan diverted his journey to
attend to the injured Jew, bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine, set him
on his horse and trekked along to the inn, paid for the cost, and promised not
to abandon him, that is the sense of urgency and commitment we should show to
one another in their need. Meditating on this parable, we see that the
Samaritan treated the injured Jew as if he himself was the one that was wounded!
And the love he showed to the man was similar to the love
God showed to us in Christ Jesus (1 Pet 3:18). Thus, by showing God’s love to
your neighbor, you have loved God by that very act. This one love, by which we
love God and our neighbor, satisfies the requirements of the law and the prophets,
and qualifies us to inherit eternal life. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday July 10th, 2022.
