LOVE IS the purpose, LOVE IS the means AND LOVE IS the end

            We are in the Twenty-third Sunday of ordinary time. The readings of today invite us to love one another, to help each other with cordial corrections and to make God presence felt in our midst.

Love for one another: the purpose of our creation is to love one another. God created us as an expression of His love for us. Our existence affirms His love for us. We cannot give life to ourselves; it is only God who can give us breath of life. He gives life to all human beings on earth freely, without we even asking Him. As free receivers of life we ought to give life to our co-human beings by our good deeds. Our good deeds express our love for them and enhance their living. Our bad deeds would create rupture to their existence and ruin their life. The existence of evil in the world in the forms of poverty, hunger, violence… are due to lack of love. If everyone loves there will be only good. If not, there will be rupture and disturbance to each other’s life. In this rupture even good people may undergo suffering in spite of their good deeds that emanate from their love for the other. It is an injustice that happens to good people. We need to overcome this injustice. To do that, we need to help each other to know the truth about love.

Cordial corrections: our deeds proceed from our thoughts and understanding of reality. Ignorance or reverse understanding of love can make the person to do evil. Because of this, they harm others without even realising that they are causing threats to others lives. This has to be rectified by cordial corrections and by imparting true knowledge about love. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to confront the enemy gently with face to face (Mt 18:15). One becomes enemy to the other because of different understanding of one reality. The genuine confrontation can facilitate undoing different understandings of one reality and attain truth about that reality. We can even seek the help from others and the community to rectify this sort of problems (Mt 18:16-17). This process of dialogue would help people to overcome their misunderstanding and engage in loving one another. This cordial correction in the community is an obligation and our duty. In the first reading (Eze 33:7-9) God tells Jeremiah that failing to do this correction would make us partners with that wicked person and bring curse on us.

The presence of God: in the Jewish circle of Jesus time God’s presence (Shekinah) was felt amidst two or few people when they engage in discussion about God and Torah. To them Jesus says that “for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). His presence replaces God’s presence. The discussion among people is no more a law that Gods has given them rather it will be about rectification of misunderstanding that has risen amidst people about reality and coming into terms with one another in the name of Jesus. The means for rectifying problems and misunderstanding is lovable confrontation and fraternal chat. Love is the law that God has given through Jesus to humanity. In the second reading St. Paul tells that all the other laws are supplement to the law of love (Rom 13:8-10). Thus, all the discussion and confrontation will be centred on Love. Where there is love God’s presence will be there. For God is love and Jesus is God.

Love brings peace and gives life. In the beginning God gave life to humanity and in the fullness of time He sent His only son Jesus to establish peace between humanity and to Himself. Let us give life to others with our love for one another and bring peace in the community with cordial corrections. This will make God’s presence felt in the world. For love is the purpose, love is the means and love is the end.