Fr Kevin Kilgore

***

Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 
with all your soul, 
with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding, 
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

What does it look like for a person to fulfill the Law as the Lord describes in today’s Gospel?

***

Perhaps one of the best examples is that of Saint Paul, the greatest missionary of his age.

Paul not only sailed the open seas preaching the Gospel in foreign lands; he also travelled more than 10,000 miles on foot, often enough in danger of losing his life. Over the course of his journey, he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and left for dead.

But his stubbornness converted souls.

In his final pastoral letter, Paul wrote to his “spiritual son,” Timothy, saying, “As for me, the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.”

A faith which came at a very high cost.

Here Paul uses athletic language, leaving the impression that he’s exhausted himself after years of toil. 

This particular word, “departure,” literally means, “to remove the yoke from an ox,” giving the impression that Paul feels the weight of his ministry is being lifted from his shoulders. He’s done what was his to do.

So, who will bear the weight of his ministry now? Timothy, who represents the next generation.

***

Each of us in our own way is a successor to Saint Paul, and therefore to Christ. Our baptism incorporates us into his body, compelling us to do his will.

So, how do we know if we’ve done God’s will and fulfilled the Law each day?

One example I practice is to look at a crucifix at the end of the night. If I can gaze upon the Lord honestly with a sense of tiredness because I’ve done good, then I believe I’ve done most, if not all, of what the Lord asked of me that day.

***

While none of us may rival the accomplishments of Saint Paul, we can each follow his example of heroic love by preaching Christ crucified in our words and actions.

Then, when our time comes, we can say in the words of Zechariah, “Lord, now you may let your servant go in peace.” 

***

***

Image credits: (1) CBCPNews (2) Erik Cornelius, National Museum, 2012 (3) CBCPNews

***

Gospel: Luke 11: 14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, 
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Auto-immune diseases, such as type-1 diabetes and arthritis, confuse the body’s natural defense system so that the body can no longer tell the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy cell. 

As a result, normal cells are mistaken for a threat, causing the body to attack itself.

An otherwise healthy human body becomes like a “house divided,” causing unnecessary pain, even to an excruciating level.

***

When we gaze across the world of politics, culture, and religion, we can see a similar phenomenon unfolding in our own country today.

At times, a baptized person is not seen as a fellow Christian (or even as an American), but as “pro-this” or “anti-that.” We begin fighting amongst ourselves, frustrating the unity of Christ’s body here on earth.

We should remember that the Lord prayed during his final night on earth, “That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”

While we may have our differences, there’s one thing that should transcend it all – our love for Jesus Christ, who is present in our neighbor… even the one who gets underneath our skin.

In what ways do we build up the body of Christ on earth? Conversely, how might we play into the “autoimmune mentality”? 

***

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste,” Jesus warns. 

May we do our part to strengthen the unity of God’s kingdom present here on earth, by treating one another with fairness, respect, and dare we say love. 

***

***

Image credits: (1) Church Sermon Series Ideas (2) Managed Healthcare Executive (3) M. Wiley Wilson, WordPress

***

Gospel: Matthew 5: 17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Dorothy Day was a social activist who became a Catholic after giving birth to her first child. 

Holding her newborn tenderly against her chest, she realized there had to be Someone to thank for the gift of life.

But Day not only came to believe in God’s existence; she also conformed her life to that belief, deciding to live above a soup kitchen in New York City for the next several decades, serving the poorest of the poor.

***

Most people wouldn’t jump at the chance to call a soup kitchen “home.”

But Day made it her mission to serve others, because she understood that the same God who created her child was the author of every life, making all humans equally deserving of love.

As she once wrote, “Christians are commanded to live in a way that doesn’t make sense … unless God exists.”

Like Day, how is the love of Christ enfleshed in me? 

***

This is how we fulfill the Law as Jesus proclaims it in today’s Gospel – by loving God with all of our heart and our neighbor, even the poorest among us, as ourselves.

You might say, by living in a way that doesn’t make sense… 

Unless God exists.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Dreaming Dreams Trilogy (2) FaithLife Ministries (3) Episcopal Relief and Development