Love Without Borders | June 10, 2016

June 10, 2016

Have you ever had a coach that pushed you harder than anyone else on your team? Or a teacher that seemed to expect more from you than others? I have experienced both and when I had the gumption to ask them why, both responded in the same way, “I push you because I know you can do better. I expect more because I know you can give more.” Raise your hand if you’d rather be pushed because someone believes in you or overlooked because someone doesn’t believe in you.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches six different concepts that he thinks we should do to exceed the law, and go above and beyond the minimum requirements because he knows we can do better and he knows that we can give more. Yesterday we were taught that we can kill each other with anger, unforgiveness, and resentment and Jesus called us to a higher standard than just not murdering someone. Today’s issue is adultery. The standard is, of course, don’t commit adultery and the higher standard is do not even think about or look at someone other than your spouse in an inappropriate way. The marriage covenant is to be honored in the same way that God honors his covenant with us and he is always faithful, always 100% in it, and we are always his favorite. God’s heart cannot be divided, it can only be given fully, however, human hearts have the capability to be split up like servings of pie and given away in separate pieces pretty easily.

Jesus wants us to love each other the way the Father loves us: entirely, fully, and undividedly. It’s not that married people cannot love others, in fact, Jesus is the one that has commanded us to love others, but in the same way God loves us. God’s love for us is “agape”, which is selfless, deeper, richer, and more complete than another kind of love such as eros (romantic love) or philia (friendship), and we are not just encouraged to agape each other, we are commanded to. A marriage covenant is first rooted in agape, but the presence of eros or romantic love adds an extra element of commitment to the relationship that is to be preserved and reserved for only one. This was obviously an issue in Jesus’ time and of course it is still an issue today, so Jesus tries to give a way to thwart any temptation. Don’t just not commit adultery, don’t even look or think about another woman with eros, only agape. The problem is that we mix up the different degrees and types of love all the time because we are not spiritually mature yet. Jesus knows this about us and he wants us to have the discipline and self control to be able to differentiate between them. It’s difficult and we need to be reminded more often than not that the only way to love like God is with a whole heart, not a divided heart, with complete agape, not categorized into eros or philios.

Jesus uses an exaggerated analogy of plucking out one’s eye or cutting off one’s hand if either causes one to sin. Obviously, he does not want us to literally do these things, but to really really really emphasize that we can do better, and we can give more. We are not animals and our wills can be trained, just like a good coach or teacher understands with their athletes and students. Jesus wants us to be faithful to our covenants, first to God, and then to each other. The marriage covenant is a special kind that requires more.

When our hearts mimic God’s, we will be able to love everyone completely and deeply and even intimately, but until we have reached spiritual maturity and/or perfection, our earthly loves will have limits, boundaries, and restrictions, but all of these push us into the arms of the one without borders or conditions and that is where true agape is found. So get your agape love on today and remember to do better and give more. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 1 KGS 19:9A, 11-16

At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter.
But the word of the LORD came to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake— 
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”
He replied, “I have been most zealous for the LORD,
the God of hosts.
But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars,
and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
The LORD said to him,
“Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus.
When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram.
Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel,
and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah,
as prophet to succeed you.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 27:7-8A, 8B-9ABC, 13-14

R. (8b) I long to see your face, O Lord.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I long to see your face, O Lord.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I long to see your face, O Lord.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I long to see your face, O Lord.

Alleluia PHIL 2:15D, 16A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights on the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 5:27-32

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you, 
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, 
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, 
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”