Fr Kevin Kilgore

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“Love your God… Love your neighbor.”

What a timely Gospel this is in light of what happened recently in Pittsburgh, along with countless other acts of violence, hatred and discrimination that will unfold in our nation and in our world today.

The truth is the Gospel challenges us to see everyone as created equally by God, regardless of their race, religion, language, or nationality.

We must love them all, even when they do not love us.

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But let’s zoom in on those neighbors whom we should find easiest to love – our spouse, our children, and our parents.

In a word, our family… Yours and mine.

For many of us, the people whom we live with are our most intimate neighbors, whom we build our lives around and with whom we share our joys and sorrows, successes and failures.

If we are to love anyone the way we love our selves – as the Gospel challenges us to do – then it certainly starts at home.

And loving homes begin with loving couples.

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Perhaps the most famous loving couple in literary history is Romeo and Juliet. Their love has inspired people for centuries. And, they can still inspire us to love one another today.

How many of us have read the play Romeo and Juliet, perhaps in high school English?

You may remember the scene when Juliet looks down from her balcony upon Romeo and says, “Romeo, the more I give to you, the more I seem to have.” 

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“The more I give to you…the more I seem to have.”

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Juliet learned to see the world through Romeo’s eyes to the point that that his happiness led to hers.

That is the strange effect of love.

Love draws us out of our selfish ways; it inspires us to dream our lover’s dreams, to please our lover rather than pleasing ourselves, because the more we give, the more have.

Parents: think of the delight you experience when your children succeed.

Teachers: the joy you experience when your students learn how to read.

Or to all of us: the peace that comes from forgiving a neighbor who’s hurt us…or the satisfaction we find in giving the perfect gift.

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If Juliet is right, then the more we give to anyone, the happier we become.

Seeing the world through another person’s eyes – regardless of their skin color, religion, or nationality – makes us wiser, more joyful, and compassionate people.

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The same is true in our relationship with God. The more time we spend in service, the more we study his Word, the more we pray, the happier we become.

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So how do I give my heart to my family, my hands to my neighbors, and my treasure to the poor?

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How much of myself do I give away to my neighbor? And how much do I keep?

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This is our invitation as Christians, to love like Juliet.

Or, better said, to love like Jesus, who gave everything for us from the balcony of his Cross. There we see Saint Paul’s words on love lived out concretely.

As Paul tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind… It does not seek its own interests, it does not brood over injury. Love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

In every time and place,  the more we give, the more we have.

I was in New York City recently, where I came across a young lady hunched over, seated on the sidewalk. Her legs were crossed, shoes dirty, and clothes slightly tattered,.

She clutched a wrinkled Dunkin’ Donuts paper cup in one hand and a sign in the other that read: “I’m not a bad person. Just in a bad situation. Please help.”

It was sad to see how many people walked past her, as if she didn’t exist.

Though she was alone, she still had a name, a story, and even a home – perhaps broken and far away. But her life started somewhere, and it certainly wasn’t there.

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Seeing her reminded me of Bartimaeus, the man who we encounter in today’s Gospel.  He’s blind, homeless, and a beggar.

Just like that girl in New York, people pass him by as if he’s a burden. Or worse, as if he doesn’t exist.

Just look at how the crowds treat him. They try to hush and dismiss him… yet they consider themselves followers of Jesus.

Jesus, on the other hand, listens to him, touches him, and turns his life upside down.

Or, better said, right side up.

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Two weeks ago, we heard the story of the rich young man. You may remember he ran up to Jesus, knelt before him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

And Jesus, “Looking at him, loved him, and said, ‘You lack one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor. Then, come and follow me.”

But the rich young man, “walked away sad for he had many possessions.”

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The next person we meet is Bartimaeus. Here he is seated on the roadside begging. His legs are crossed, his head titled upward, his voice crying out for spare change.

He’s wrapped in a tattered wool cloak – by far his most important possession – as it not only serves as a way of collecting coins; it’s also his protection from the sun and a blanket at night.

But when he hears that Jesus is coming, what does Bartimaeus do?

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In a rush of desperation, he lunges towards Jesus, leaving his cloak – and the coins resting on it – behind.

It seems like a simple gesture, but Bartimaeus has literally parted with everything he owns, something the rich young man just couldn’t do.

He does this because he’s found the pearl of great price, the one thing the rich young man, the crowds, and even the disciples are still searching for…

Faith.

As Jesus tells him, “Your faith has saved you.” And so Bartimaeus gets up and follows Jesus on the way to Jerusalem.

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That is the final public miracle Jesus performs, a decision he must have made on purpose. So what might he be saying to us?

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I’d suggest two things.

First, Jesus asks us the same question he asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

That is, what is your deepest desire? What do you want from God?

If we approach Jesus with faith – even faith the size of a mustard seed – then surely he will grant it.

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But the second point is this – we’re called to make Jesus’ words our own, asking our neighbors that very same question: “What do you want me to do for you?” 

That is, how might I be of service?

The alternative is to act like the crowds in the Gospel, who walked with Jesus, but failed to act like him.

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Think of that young girl from New York City, whose name was Laura. She really was in a bad situation and needed more help than I could give.

But asking for her name, touching her hand, and offering her a warm meal was a start.

I hoped that chance encounter would in some small way help her to believe in a God who loves her, who often reveals himself in the face of another.

As it has been said, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

Surely there are others, then, even people in our own lives, who feel like Laura or Bartimaeus – ignored, alone, in need of a friend.

Our call is to ask them the same question that Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?”

And then do what we can.

 

“I have come to set the world on fire,” Jesus says.

Fire is often used in scripture as a symbol of divine power.

Just as fire has the ability to scorch, to singe, to separate, so God has the power to remove from our hearts whatever is sinful or impure.

But if Jesus is to do this purifying work within us, then our hearts must be open.

As we hear in the Book of Revelation, what Jesus cannot tolerate is a “lukewarm” heart – one that entertains both good and evil desires.

Such a person is on the fence, undecided about God.

But the Gospel reminds us that we must be either totally for or against Jesus; that middle ground of indecision will be burned away.

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So how strong is the divine fire within us? Has the Lord burned away every impure habit and inclination?

Or are there still lukewarm areas in our lives, places that need to be purified?

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There certainly are for me, which is why the Gospel is so challenging today.

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But Saint Paul tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, think about these things… Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Everything else must go.