Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday of 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Year 1, and the Memorial of SS Charles Lwanga and his Companion, June 3rd, 2021
Texts: Tobit 6:9-12;7:1cd.9-12.16; 8:1.4-9a; Ps. 128:1-5; Mark 12:28-34
Love is part and parcel of human life; we have the capacity to love; it is a gift of God to us. Human love becomes pure and free of selfishness when it is directed towards God and taken up in Him. Our love could be selfish without God; we love others for the sake of their goodness. However, when human love is taken up in God, it becomes selfless and sacrificial. This kind of love is called charity. Charity is the love of others, not for their own worth but for greater good. Such a love is not inspired by its object; it is rooted in the one who loves. It endures all things, it is pure, it forgives, it is patient and ready to be convinced, it is not selfish. That is the nature of God's love and that is what human love becomes when it is taken up in Him. Hence, in today's gospel reading, it is said, "One of the scribes came up and asked Jesus, 'Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, 'The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these'”.
Charity is the love of God for His own sake and our neighbours for God's sake. A sincere and true love of neighbours comes from loving God first. This means we cannot love our neighbours sincerely outside God; a sincere and true love is rooted in God. Many of us our love is not yet purified; we do not love God for His own sake but for our sake. Such love is still self-centred. We love God because of food, because of health, because of wealth, because of prestige and fame, because of position, because of security. Until our love is anchored on nothing, we are not there yet.
The command to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength is to be ready to let go our very selves for love of God. This kind of love manifests in martyrdom. Hence, today's memorial gives meaning to today's gospel reading. Thomas Pazhayampallil speaks of today's martyrs thus: "Today we commemorate the martyrdom of Charles Lwanga, Matthias Molumba Kalemba and their twenty companions- all from Uganda, Africa. They were attendants, soldiers and officials of Mwanga, ruler of Buganda. They were recent converts to the Church; some were catechumens, baptized by Charles Lwanga before they suffered death, between 1885 and 1887. They were all young men or boys. They resisted the impure demands of the King. Some of them were killed by the sword; others were burnt to death" (Words of Eternal Life, p. 138). They gave all to Christ, reserved nothing to themselves. They showed in their lives what it means to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength.
With today's first reading, we are reminded that authentic marriage is built on love of God. It is the marriage that is built on love of God that has its foundation on rock. Such marriage stands in spite of storm or flood. We are also reminded to pray together as husband and wife; marriage should be entrusted into God's hands. Spouses must be open to God's love and grace. They should always seek the face of God together.
Lord our God, help us to truly love You and our neighbour for Your sake. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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