Deut. 30:10-14; Ps. 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 6,37; Col. 1:15-20; Lk. 10:25-37
“Go and do likewise” as Jesus did “and you will live”. This was the command Jesus gave to his disciples and to his “appointed seventy-two” he sent forth from last week’s readings. “Go and do likewise” curing the sick, proclaiming the word, “to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you”. “Go and do likewise” in loving God with all your heart, being, strength and mind and “your neighbor as yourself” by the acts of charity caring for the needs of others “and you will live”. “Go and do likewise” as Jesus continues to do in our lives, he is “near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” Are we ready to carry it out for eternity?
Do we believe in eternity? Eternity begins now in the flesh as Jesus came in the flesh to show us how to live for eternity. He came in the flesh and in his divinity to take our flesh, wipe away our sins and open the gates of heaven to begin to live in the spirit, in the divine spirit, in the law of the Lord, love itself. If we believe in eternity, then it all starts in the here and now. We see it in the lives of the saints who lived and died in the flesh but were already experiencing the glory of God on earth. We see it in the mystery of faith through the sacramental life of the church carrying out the mission of Christ to the world. We also see it in ourselves in our answered prayers where miracles happen every day and we are moved to give thanks and give all the glory to God.
“Go and do likewise” as a sign of our love of God to be his image to the world. Love of God is a constant movement to act out of our love for him. It is not a fleeting thought that crosses our mind when we come to church but a constant reminder of his presence in our life. It is not a fickle emotion that inspires us one minute and then fades as we go on living what we call “our” life. Without his breath of life, we have no life.
Our faith calls us to belong to God, so we no longer live for ourselves, but as slaves of his love for it is then that we are free. Our heart is then united to his sacred heart. Love of God is not to be strong but, in our weakness to see his strength active in us to “go and do likewise”. Otherwise, we are an empty shell of shiny mirrors without substance. All our being is a gift, and it can all be lived for the divine purpose to “walk the walk and talk the talk” that comes from him “and you shall live”.
Are we alive in Christ? Life is difficult and we pray to God to be with us, to help us discern his will and to be prudent in making good decisions. Now what? Now we walk in faith so God may open the gates of heaven as we “do likewise” being Christ in this world. The mission of the church is to proclaim the gospels as it nurtures our minds with his word and feed us his body and blood that we may carry him in our being and then to send us forth at the end of Mass to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, and in Spirit and truth trusting in him. Here is the human dilemma, do we trust in God? Being alive in Christ is trusting in him.
“Jesus, I trust in you” is easier said than practiced. To trust in Jesus sometimes requires us to “go forth” taking the right next step and sometimes it requires us to wait upon the Lord in God’s time to answer our prayers. The best discernment comes through prayer when to act and when to wait. There is the old expression “reading the tea leaves”. It is being observant, keeping watch, listening for the movement of the Spirit around us and in us. Trust is a letting go and letting God be the driver as we follow and look at the signs for direction. “Direct us O’ Lord according to your will.” Trusting in God is living the Serenity Prayer:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as he did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that he will make all things right if I surrender to his Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.”
The works of the Spirit brings unity as it works in and through us as well as in and through others. The mystery of faith comes through unity, the unity of the Trinity, the unity of the church, and the unity of the people of God. It is a welcoming, inviting and calling spirit where two or three are gathered in his name. If we do not discern this spirit of unity then it may be time to dust off our feet and move on trusting in God where he may lead us.
Are we ready to “carry out” the will of God in our lives? The will of God is to love others, “your neighbor as yourself”. We assume we know how to love ourselves well and from our goodness we know how to love others. This small word “as” implies knowledge of true love, Godly love, perfect love. As we love ourselves poorly, we in turn will love others poorly. This poverty of love is controlling, demanding, objectifying, failing to respect the dignity and worth of others. It does not try to meet others where they are at but judges them based on where they are not. Can anyone be saved if God judged us based on where we are not? God meets us with his mercy as we are and calls us to something greater that he desires for us thus “go and do likewise”.
To love ourselves well is to recognize ourselves as a creation of God according to his image. Created in his image we then look to him to perfect us in love through the gifts of the Spirit, through his mercy, and through the power of his sacraments he left us in the Church. To love ourselves well begins with Him and ends with Him and as we think in between “He is!” He is the creator, the lover, the sanctifier, the consoler, the savior. He is and always will be the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, so let it be Him the acting source in our lives and our love will grow in perfection fulfilling his word, “So be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48)
“Be perfect” is a command. When we raise our thoughts, hearts, and will to God we enter into his perfection. We are to “let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Jam. 1:4-6) Let us unlock the significance of the command “be perfect”. It does not say “try to be perfect” for this implies something less than perfect is all that is needed. We accept the idea “I try to be good” as if that is enough. We turn to the excuse “no one is perfect” and settle for less than the command. Let our prayer be “I will be perfect as called to be in the perfection of this moment by the will of God”. We are calling our being to “be perfect” and on God to raise us up to his perfect will at this moment. His promise will be fulfilled for we are asking God to be perfect in us as we “go and do likewise”. God answers the call when we call upon Him which is his desire all along that we turn to Him, and he is there. In your perfection Lord, guide us to your perfect will. Amen.
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