Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
St Mary's Cathedral
Exodus 22:20-26 1 Thess 1:5-10 Mt 22:34-40
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
27 Oct 2002
Sometimes public events can cause us to re-examine our lives, to wonder what is the point. Notoriously, personal or family suffering can produce this; events such as an unexpected family death.
There is little doubt that September 11, 2001 had such an effect in the USA and now October 12, 2002 is doing the same for us. What is important?
One holidaymaker in Bali who worked with her husband all through the night in one of the Bali hospitals as volunteer helpers put it this way: "This has taught me," she said, "about the importance of family and friends, the fragility of life and the fruitlessness of hatred."
I mention all this for a couple of reasons. First of all because this morning we have a significant number of adult confirmations, and because the readings spell out the centrality of love in the Christian scheme of life.
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments. It complements baptism and completes the initiation procedures into the Church. Through confirmation a person becomes a full member of the Catholic Church.
Many describe it as a sacrament of personal choice, unlike baptism for those baptized as babies, where parents make the choice for their children supported by godparents.
If we ask what life is about, it is equally appropriate to ask what are the basic elements of the Christian answer. And Christianity does provide answers.
Jesus did not tell his followers to go out into the world and listen, but to go out into all the world and preach the gospel (which means "good news"). Christians preach a message, which is true, beautiful and useful.
It is important to recognize what are the basic Christian truths, because it is not entirely unusual for Catholics to have a lot of information about Christ, and even about the Church, and yet struggle to explain to friends or enemies what we are about.
What are the basics? These can be explained in a variety of ways, but in any scheme love is central.
In today's gospel Our Lord explains that love of God and love of our neighbour constitute together the greatest of the commandments. On them depend all the teaching of the Law and the Prophets.
Both elements are taken from different parts of the Old Testament, but Jesus was probably the first to put them together like this to constitute the greatest of the commandments.
What is Love?
It is not the same as erotic love or sexual passion, which is good when properly directed and exercised. It is not the same as lust, which is disordered sexual love, self-centred, using others as sex objects.
Love is not the same as infatuation, where a person is captive to another, although not necessarily self-centred way.
Nor is love the same as friendship between equals (what the Greeks called "philia").
Love is not an emotion or state of our feelings, but a decision of the will. Natural liking is neither good nor bad in itself, and we have a duty to encourage such natural feelings.
Do not waste time bothering whether you love someone. Act as though you do. If this continued, you probably will come to love as much as you should. A decision to love is necessary and then feelings usually follow the decision.
A worldly person is affectionate and has his likes and dislikes. A follower of Christ loves by acting as though he loves. Some are benevolent, some misanthropic. What is important is that we use what we have.
An old missioner tells us that we are either progressing or we are slipping. Both love and hate increase at compound interest. The Nazis ill treated Jews because they hated them, then hated them more because they had ill treated them.
A small act of goodness today might be the essential element helping you to an act of goodness in the future you never dreamed you were able to achieve.
Sometimes a small, almost unconscious act of kindness can be very significant for others and deeply appreciated.
So the Old Testament book of Exodus spells out in the commandments some of the practical applications of love.
They must treat well the strangers in their midst, not rob them or oppress them.
In those days of no social security, widows and orphans were among the most powerless and vulnerable. They were to be looked after.
Money was not to be lent to the very poor at exorbitant rates, simply because the poor were unable to resist.
And the basics of life, such as a person's very clothes, his cloak, were not to be taken from him even to pay a legitimate debt. Love means we forgive our enemies.
Love has to have practical consequences and we could all add to these examples. This is why we need commandments, laws and regulations.
The Creed we regularly say together at 10:30am Mass spells out the Christian basics in a sophisticated theological fashion. The questions asked in a baptism ceremony do this more simply.
There is one God, who loves us especially when we need help or are in trouble. The first commandment for us is to return God's love.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and therefore his redeeming life, and his sacrifice on the cross are of first importance. His teachings, because of their divine origin, have a unique authority. He told us we should love others the way we love ourselves. This is the second greatest commandment.
Let us rededicate ourselves, all of us, not just those being confirmed, to the Christian commandments to love.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
