Jesus shows us the right way to love God and our neighbor.  Those who love, as Jesus does, overcome chaos and darkness together with him.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, bringing order out of chaos and dispelling the darkness.  He brought creation about through the Word who, in the beginning, is God from God and light from light.  That is why one can say that the Word protects creation from chaos and darkness.

But chaos, without doubt, still threatens creation and, of course, human beings.  And it will continue to do so, until God clothes us definitively with his glory.  So then, we who are still at home in the body have reason to cling to Jesus.  With all of creation, yes, we groan in labor pains still.

Jesus reveals the God of peace, not of chaos.

Creation comes about “as a result of a decision, not from chaos or chance” (Laudato Si’ 77).  That is to say, creation “is in the order of love,” for “God’s love is the fundamental moving force in all created things.”

And Jesus, the perfect image of this God of love, is the peace that chaos cannot vanquish.  He is, besides, the light that darkness cannot engulf.  Keeping the two-fold commandment of love, according to the example he has given us, we will enjoy peace and light.

Indeed, we need to welcome the Word and leave our idols behind to serve the living and true God.  That is because we cannot serve two masters.  Concretely, we cannot serve God and money.

Unfortunately, we who serve money are not few.  And among us are leaders who behave like the Pharisees who loved money.  The love of money, greed, is the root of all evils.

Greed, moreover, makes it difficult for us, if not impossible, to love our neighbor.  Because we worship money, we end up hardening our heart and closing our hand to the needy.  Because of greed, we oppress aliens and wrong widows and orphans.  Greed leads us, yes, to chaos and darkness.  There, tongues are like drawn bows, and lying prevails, not the truth.

Jesus, in contrast, brings us grace and truth.  And he gives witness to the truth by loving God and humans beings to the end, by surrendering himself to God for us.  This love is the source of the whole law and the prophets.  It is, likewise, above all rules (SV.EN X:478).

Lord Jesus, we recall at the Eucharist your self-surrender for love of God and neighbor.  Fill us with your love, so that we may not sink into chaos and darkness.

29 October 2017
30th Sunday in O.T. (A)
Ex 22, 20-26; 1 Thes 1, 5c-10; Mt 22, 34-40