Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Flowcharts, processes, and procedures, these are all things that I have an appreciation for. I prefer the recipe following and precision measurements of baking over the intuition and eyeballing of cooking. When I’m thinking about buying a new game, I’ll often search online to read a copy of the rule book to help me decide about purchasing it. Today’s readings challenge me.
I can easily fall into the temptation that Paul is admonishing the Galatians about. I can think that the rules will save me. That the best disciples are the ones that follow the rules the best. Our readings today point us to the deeper reality that when all is said and done, we aren’t going to be measured by how well we followed the letter of the law, but by how well we loved one another. Our first reading today concludes with Paul's words, that what “counts for anything… only faith working through love.”
Even more challenging, than thinking that discipleship is only about following the rules, is when we encounter situations where following the rules of society would be the opposite of acting in love. We are called to act with love. Even when the rules say something else. We must act in love regardless of the consequences. Be it challenging a societal norm or an act of civil disobedience against an unjust law. This is always going to be easier said than done.
Furthermore, we are called to keep in check the rules, processes, procedures, and algorithms in our lives. They are not what we are to be governed by, we are to be governed first and foremost by love. We must critically examine the rules in our lives and society. We must confront the policies, formulas, and structures we encounter that act blindly without love for one another. Especially those that have a tendency to exploit or harm the most marginalized and vulnerable in our society, who we have an obligation to prioritize our love for. We must work towards refining these rules so that they do act with love.
"Lord God, you are love. Help us today to remember that our call is to show your love to the world, Help us to act with love today, even when it won’t be easy, even when we rather not, even when the rules say we should do something else. Help us to follow the example of your Son and to love first. Help us to rewrite the rules that govern our lives so that we become a more loving people. We ask this in your most Holy Name. Amen."
-Will Marsh