23 Sunday of Ordinary Time — September 6, 2020
In this reflection I will focus on the second
reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans. On Sunday the focus can be on the gospel.
Paul makes a thought-provoking statement: “Let no debt
remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.” Immediately before this declaration, Paul says, “Give to everyone
what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if
respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” We take
this advice
seriously. We payour debts, whether that be our mortgage payments,
car payments or taxes.
Paying off our financial debts responsibly, on time or
over time, means you can own the house
you live in, the car you drive, and you won’t have a
visit from the IRS. You don’t have to
worry about someone taking your
belongings because you don’t pay your debts.
Debt creates pressure and no one likes
pressure. That is why we try to pay them off as soon as we are able. But there
is one debt that you will always owe and never be able to pay off fully. Paul
reminded us, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love
one another” You’ll never
reach the place where you can say, “Now I love others as
much as I ought to.”
No matter how long
you’ve been a Christian or how much you have grown as a Christian, you
still have room to grow in love.
As a former Pharisee and convert to the
Christian way, Paul knew the Old Testament and the
words of Jesus in the New
Testament. In our Scriptures the emphasis on love is not exactly
minor or nfrequent! Jesus said that love is the distinguishing mark of his followers
(John 13:34-35). “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as
I have loved
you.
By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.” In case they missed
it,in the same discourse he added (John 15:12), “This is my
commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” Then, in case they missed it again, five verses later Jesus
repeated, “This I command you, that you love one another.”
The action that Paul is highlighting is what
we today might call “Pay It Forward”. We cannot pay or earn God’s love. Paul told
the Romans, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.” Because the gift of
God’s love is beyond our ability to pay for it, we are eternally in debt
to God. The way we “pay” this debt is by
Paying It Forward in loving our neighbor as God has
loved us. In the parable of the unforgivi-ng servant, the servant was forgiven
his debt, but he would not forgive those who were
indebted to him. The master
calls the servant back in and says, “You wicked servant,
I cancelled all your debt because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as Ihad on you?” (Mathew 18)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God knew we couldn’t afford the
sin-debt we owed,so He sent his only Son, Jesus, to pay our bill. Jesus gave
up his life to redeem
us from our this debt. Jesus paid the debt we could not
pay.
Why are we called to walk in love? We walk in
love because it has been done for us. God gave,
followed by Jesus giving, and
now it is our turn. For a believer in Christ, “Paying It
Forward” is a way of life. God loved
us by sending his only Son. And Jesus’ love was
demonstrated in a death penalty he did not deserve. How can we experience the
love God paid forward for us and fail to pass it on?
On this Labor Day weekend, we pray in
appreciation for all workers, that they receive fair
compensation and treatment
in their labor; for those who seek work, may they find employment;
for those
who cannot work, may they be supported and sustained.
Fr. Don Webber, C.P.