Thursday After Epiphany
1 Jn 4: 19- 5:4; Lk 4: 14-33
Dc. Larry Brockman
So, “Whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Wow! That’s a very significant insight from St. John. And he is not just talking about our blood brothers either. Because we are all the brotherhood of man.
Look at it this way; God made all of us. And God doesn’t make junk. So all of us are God’s people, and all of those he made are loved. Why would God consciously make someone he didn’t love? And God has shown us that his creation is varied- black, brown, yellow, white; unborn; Children; Men; Women; Homosexuals; rich; poor; talented; handicapped; athletic; and crippled. Whoever has been conceived by natural processes to be born into this world; God loves We are all God’s children and so each of us is fashioned by God with our own unique talents, gifts, and limitations with the same love. It’s just that our perspectives don’t necessarily see it that way.
We can’t really love God if we don’t love all the people that God loves because our rationale for following God’s command to love has to match God’s own concept of love. We can’t reject anyone that God loves; that’s not the love of God.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us what God’s plan is for him. First, he reads the prophecy of Isaiah on the Messiah’s coming: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Then, he declares boldly that this prophecy has been fulfilled today by him; making it clear that he is the Messiah, the one who will accomplish all that was promised in the prophecy.
God loves the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed, just as much as the well off, those already free, the physically able, and those with the upper hand; and it is clear from this Gospel that his first priority is those the world considers as disadvantaged!
We have just embarked on the year of Mercy as announced by Pope Francis. What does that mean for you and I? Well, these readings should awaken a sense of duty within us to internalize what mercy means in our own lives, t live the love of Christ for all of his creation. It doesn’t just mean dropping a few extra bucks in the collection basket for the poor. It doesn’t just mean adding an extra intention to our daily prayers. It should mean something more than that. It should mean that we have mercy on the poor, captive, and suffering in our own lives.
Who are the poor and captive and suffering in our lives? They are those in our families with imperfections and limitations; those who are captive to their own blindness and who resist God’s love. And it includes those who take advantage of our better nature in society- the homeless, those in disastrous relationships, those who are bullies and those who have turned their backs on God.
Why? Because that’s what we hope God will do for each and every one of us when we recognize our own weaknesses; and because we are the only window that these people may have to the love of God. Our limitations should teach each of us to be humble in the face of our God; but our talents are to be shared for the good of all our brothers; and a talent all of us can develop is true Christian love whereby we continue to love even those who give us the worst time.
Our first reading ends with this quote: “For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.” We don’t conquer the world by rising above the worldly in a worldly way. Rather, we conquer the world by echoing God’s love through our faith in God and by loving with our own loving spirit, no matter how difficult the people in our lives are and what they throw at us.
So, think of someone in your life who needs mercy; and with the love of Christ, be merciful to them.