Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s first reading, Paul writes to his mentee, Timothy, from his jail cell. Paul says, “The word of God is not chained…if we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.” Paul, in his last moments, shares with one of his successors the path of Christian freedom. Jesuit Avery Cardinal Dulles once wrote, “In the deepest sense, freedom is a gift of God because we cannot liberate ourselves from our illusions and selfish desires without divine grace.” When we spend time with scripture, how do we allow its words to draw us closer to God so we can be truly free? Sometimes our lives can be turned inward because of the many distractions we participate in for our own pleasure and happiness. However, if these distractions cause us to ignore our relationship with God, our family, and the church, we cannot experience the freedom God wished for us.
When the scribe in today’s gospel passage questions Jesus about the most important commandment, Jesus responds with two: love God above all things and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Although the scribe came to Jesus to trick him, through God’s grace his heart was opened to hear Jesus’ message. He showed a sincere understanding and Jesus proclaimed that he was close to the Kingdom of God. Through his example, Jesus teaches us about a different kind of freedom—a freedom that is rooted in love. This is what it means to be a disciple, to always seek the will of God and not our own will.
As we struggle with so many commitments and responsibilities, we also might ask the same question as the scribe, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” By reflecting on God’s word, we can pray that his grace can help reorient our priorities. In this way, we may come to know a freedom which can only be found in God and allow us to open ourselves up to truly love. Today let us pray the words of the psalmist, “your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior.
-Jessica Gabrielli