Tuesday, May 15, 2018

6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle B - May 6, 2018

6th Sunday of Easter

Cycle B

May 6, 2018

 

Commandment(s)


Today’s gospel really got me thinking.

Jesus first says, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.”  Notice that he speaks of commandments– in the plural.

Jesus is apparently referring to the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament and how he stretches their meaning.  And by the way, 7 of those 10 commandments are negative – the “Thou shalt not”kind – I’ll come back to that in a minute.

Then, a few sentences later in today’s passage, Jesus says, “This is my commandment: love one another.”  Here the word is the singular and that one commandment is very positive.  

This led me to think of some of Jesus’ other moral teachings or commandments.  Like, “Blessed are the peacemakers,”or, “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, that you do for me.”

Well, all of this got me thinking: might it be possible to express all of these commandments and moral teachings in a positive way and in just several statements that might ring true for us here in the 21stcentury?  I decided to give this a try.  

I like the number 3 and so I came up with three, what I call Summary Teachings of Jesus.  Here goes.

1. Be Mindful of God


First, be mindful of God.

Make room for God in your life.  Live with an awareness of God’s presence with you right now.

Live with the big picture and the long run of life in mind.  With this, come to Mass and really put yourself into it.

Participate in the Eucharist every week.  And then, pray, on your own, personally, every day.

It’s really pretty easy to do this.  For example, read a few verses of the gospel, pick out just one word or a phrase, and let that be with you and be your prayer throughout the day.  

Or pray the prayers that you have learned by heart and memorized. Or use a book of prayers that you may have. 

Or even find some prayers on the Internet that you can pray every day.  So, be mindful of God.     

2. Be Faithful to Commitments


The Second Summary Teaching: Be faithful to commitments.

Be steady and faithful to your spouse or, for me, to the priesthood.  Be faithful to your job or profession or volunteer commitments.

And especially in our vocational commitments, be proactive.  Communicate well with your loved ones.

Share what is going on in your life, listen carefully, and speak thoughtfully.  For me, being proactive here means to seek ways to enrich my ministry to you.

At the same time, expect that there will be bumps in the road.  Be ready to work through these instead of just quickly giving up.

Be humble enough to seek outside assistance to at least try to deal with the problems.  In all of this, just think of God’s unconditional, enduring commitment to us.

Allow that to lead and empower us.  So, be faithful to commitments.

3. Be Considerate of Others

And the Third Summary Teaching: Be considerate of others.

This commandment includes an awful lot.  For example, seek the common good and not just what is for my own good. 

Be open to acting for the overall good of the entire community. Very connected to this is caring for life and the quality of life.

So, cherish the life of the unborn.  Care about the dying person and take positive measures to provide support and comfort.

Keep in check the pitfalls of consumerism.  Remember that when we use too much or waste food, water, electricity or gas, we are really taking from those who do not have the basics.

Be respectful of the earth.  Look for ways to recycle and not pollute the planet.

And, by all means, share with those in need without judging persons who depend on food stamps or other forms of assistance.  Be considerate of others.

Conclusion

So, Jesus’ statements today about commandments led me to all of this.

Maybe this will be a helpful way to recall the entire moral direction Jesus gives throughout the gospels.  
1)  Be mindful of God.
2)  Be faithful to commitments.

3)  Be considerate of others.