"Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law." (Rm. 13:10)
This is the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time. St. Paul reminds us that love is the most important thing in our lives. We were created to love and be loved. Christ is our model and example of how fraternal charity is practiced. St. Thomas teaches us that love desires the good of the other as other.
Christ in the Gospel gives us a lesson on an important aspect of charity which is fraternal correction. We must always go directly to the person, one on one. Our sinful tendency is to share one's shortcomings with others without even verifying them with the person in question. We must always purify our intention before correcting our neighbor, seeing the log in my own eye before trying to remove the splinter in my neighbor's. At the same time, we must always be willing to take it ourselves if we give it to others. When we examine our motive, let us always follow the maxim of St. Augustine, "love and do what you will."
Questions for Reflection:
- If I notice a shortcoming in my neighbor do I go directly with them?
- Have I found myself sharing in gossip that normally ends up in speaking ill of others?
- Am I humble in receiving fraternal correction without trying to defend myself?
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