Homily for 23d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the

23d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sept. 6, 2020

Rom 13: 8-10

Holy Name of Jesus, Valhalla, N.Y.

Can you believe we’re still reading from Romans?  And only pieces of it, at that?  It’s 16 chapters in all, and we’re hearing only excerpts, mostly small ones, on 13 Sundays.

Last week, with the 1st 2 verses from ch. 12, St. Paul started to offer practical advice on Christian living after 11 chapters of doctrine.  After passing over the rest of ch. 12 and the beginning of ch. 13, the lectionary today continues the practical advice:  “the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (13:8).  That “law” means the Law of Moses, primarily; or the sum total of God’s laws for humanity if you want to take it a little further.

Students at a Salesian school in Saragossa, Spain,
illustrate love and joy (ANS)

Like Jesus, Paul cites the Old Testament command, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  This is everything—after loving God, of course.  If our neighbor is an image of God, as the Book of Genesis teaches (1:27), then by loving our neighbor we’re also loving God.

Paul quotes some of the commandments—about adultery, theft, murder, covetousness—obviously not all of the 10 commandments, much less the rest of the Torah, but a representative sample to mean all of them.  This is not to mention the specifics of Christian morality that we learned in Catholic school or CCD.  But these specifics are expressions of the command to love one another.  If we love someone, we don’t steal from him; we don’t abuse her or exploit her.

Sometimes Christianity is mischaracterized by its foes as a religion of “thou shalt not.”  It is, rather, a faith of “thou shalt”:  thou shalt love thy neighbor in practice by respecting him, aiding her, sharing your abundance of goods with him when he’s in need, counseling or comforting her, opening your heart and your door (as so many people do after a natural disaster, for example).  Not only does love do no evil to one’s neighbor, as Paul says (13:10), but love does positive good whenever and wherever it can.

Mary's love for her family, exemplified by her visit
to her cousin Elizabeth (OL of the Valley, Orange, N.J.)

This practical love has to begin with our own responsibilities.  We all know the adage “Charity begins at home.”  The 1st neighbors whom we must love are our own families, or in my case, my religious community in New Rochelle.

“Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another,” Paul writes (13:8).  Husbands and wives, help and support each other.  Be patient and gentle with each other.  Be considerate.

Parents, give time and attention to your children.  Be patient and gentle with them even while you try to teach them good manners, good morals, and responsibility.

Children, obey your parents, do your schoolwork and chores, treat your siblings decently—and be patient with your parents when they’re not perfect.

All—be forgiving and encouraging.

And so you will show genuine love, the fulfillment of God’s law.  May God bless us all!