Keeping the law or growing in the Lord...

WORD 2day: Friday, 32^nd week in Ordinary time

November 11, 2022: 2 John 1:4-9; Luke 17:26-37 

Commandments make it easy for us to choose the right things in life. They are infact prethought counsels for an upright or a peaceful life, be it personal or communitarian or social. Jesus in his specific genuinity, simplifies those commandments further to one powerful word, ‘LOVE.’

The readings these days portray a sense of urgency, as if running the fag end of a long race as we are nearing the end of the Liturgical year. And today, we are invited to think about our choices, the single mindedness of our Christian living and the real focus of our everyday life. 

At times, specially in these postmodern and poststructural times, we are taught to feel bad about obeying a commandment or keeping a law, as part of our spirituality, because we think it undermines our "progressive" thinking and capacity for mature commitments. But it is not whether we obey or resist commandments or laws, that determines how free and mature we are. 

Maturity, in fact, lies in Informed Convictions and Single minded Perseverance, in the right things, which are sometimes defined and delimited by laws. Progressivity, here really would mean, not resisting laws or commandments, but ensuring that they become in essence, means towards growing in the Lord. And the way to ensure it: listening to the Lord and living our daily life in God’s light. For Jesus, that meant walking in love. 

Hence today, we would do well to make this our prayer: Lord Jesus, help me walk in the path of love. Amen!