Nov. 4, 2018: 31st Sunday B
Nov. 4, 2018: 31st Sunday B
How much do the following words ring true in your own life, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose." That statement was made by Victor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist who survived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp during WWII. While in the concentration camp, Frankl observed that some people were able to survive through trying times by connecting to a sense of meaning and purpose. For example, Frankl remembers men who walked through the huts comforting others and giving away their last piece of bread. While they were few in number, these men demonstrated that love is the ultimate giver of meaning. Frankl observed, "I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.”
What is the greatest commandment or divine rule of life that we should abide by that reveals the meaning and purpose in our lives? The scribe in today’s gospel asked Jesus that question. In response Our Lord quoted the great "Shema" prayer from the Book of Deuteronomy, "Hear, O Israel! The Lord, our God, is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Love God, Our Lord said, with all of ourselves. Then he went one step further, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." At the Last Supper, the night before he died, Jesus repeated that the greatest commandment is to love -- "I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for another" (John 13:34-35). Jesus united in his person and actions the commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbor. What happens when we do not have a love for God or neighbor? We lose the true meaning and purpose of what our lives are about; we sway with the whims of misjudgment, hate, and violence.
This past Monday evening, in Beth Shalom Synagogue in Baton Rouge there was standing room only as people of all faith gathered to mourn and pray for the victims of Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg who were gunned down by a man who neither had a love for God nor neighbor. A Baptist minister reflected that the violence committed against the parishioners of the synagogue was not born in a moment but cultivated over time through callous disrespect and contempt for humanity. He said that we are one body, a seamless fabric of humanity. The good that we do for one another uplifts all of humanity while the evil we inflict on one another degrades the whole of humanity. A rabbi said to those gathered, “In the face of this tragedy many are asking, ‘Where was God?’ But we really should be asking, ‘Where was man?’” Where was the basic human decency: human dignity, the sacredness of human life, striving for common good, and solidarity? We heard the answer when the prayer service began with the recitation of Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where does my help come from? My help comes from God, maker of heaven and earth.” The rabbi then led us on a beautiful prayer of solidarity.
“We are here to comfort one another and find Your presence among us. Let us be the spiritual scaffolding for those around us, enabling them to thrive. When I am shattered, assure me that I can heal. When I’m weary, renew my spirit. When I am lost, show me that You are near. When I panic, God, teach me patience. When I fear, teach me faith. When I lose perspective, show me the way--Back to love, back to life, back to You.”
We make our lives hopeful and meaningful by loving God and neighbor. Our true reason for being, our true purpose for being placed on this earth is to love. Out of love, we all can strive to put the needs of others ahead of ours. Victor Frankl said, “The more one forgets himself - by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love - the more human he is.” God loved us first, and our love for God is our response out of gratitude. God has given us the gifts of the Holy Spirit to assist us when our love for God and neighbor is lacking. What is keeping us from loving God and experiencing the joy of serving others with a generous heart? When stuck driving behind the sugar cane truck on a one-lane highway, are we loving when our impatience brings out not so Christian thoughts and words? Are we being loving when we share or post negative or disparaging remarks about others on social media in the name of truth? We should all reflect on incidents from our daily life that are less than loving to our fellow human beings and bring them before Jesus to shepherd our hearts.
