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Love in Action


Deacon Ned Berghausen
St. Agnes Catholic Church
September 23/24, 2023
30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102923.cfm

I have a younger brother who says the words, “I love you” very frequently.  At the end of any conversation or verbal exchange, no matter how brief, he will say it.  He called me once for clarification on driving directions—whether to take a right or a left turn.  “Got it. Thanks, Ned.  I love you.”

Back when Kate and I were first dating, very early in our relationship, as in maybe 3 weeks—I introduced her to Joe.  And he told her, “I love you.”  This was before I had even said those words to her!  Which was awkward and hilarious.

When you ask him, Joe isn’t embarrassed.  He says it’s really important that people these hear these words and know that they’re meant.  He says, “You never know when you might see or talk to a person for the last time.”  I love that.

Our topic in the Gospel today is love: Jesus’ great commandment to love God with all that we are, and a second commandment like it to love our neighbor.  I am sure you know this, but love is kind of a big deal in our faith.  In fact, love is absolutely central to Christianity.  Just to give five of Scripture’s greatest passages about love:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:43-45)

I give you a new commandment love one another … as I have loved you (John 13: 34).

Love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10)

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35)

The one who does not love, does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8)

We use the word “love” our language to cover a lot of concepts.  We say, I love Fridays, I love tacos, I love my family, I love my dog, I love God, and I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.    

 Interestingly, in the language that the New Testament was written in [Koine] Greek, there are different words for each of these types of loves.  There are at least 9 words for love.  Let me share four of the most common. First, there is storge (stor – GAY), which means affection.  It is often used to describe the relationship between family members.  This love is a kind of instinct rooted in need—like the need a child has for parents.  Second, is philia, which is friendship.  You hear this word in “Philadelphia,” the city of brotherly love.  Philia is rooted in trust, and a deep, abiding sense of loyalty.  For the ancient Greeks, this was the best form of love.  Third is eros, romantic love.  You hear this in the word erotic, but it is not about lust.  It is about falling in love with a romantic partner, and loving that partner fully and singularly.   

The fourth word for love is the one that the New Testament consistently uses for love—agape.  Unlike the English word ‘love’ which we usually mean to describe a warm feeling of affection, agape means “love in action.”  It indicates a selfless, sacrificial love rooted in commitment.  Agape love desires and wills the highest good for other people, including people we may not like.  It is the kind of love that Christ showed us by washing the feet of his disciples and by offering his life on the cross.

The passages on love take on a different meaning when you know this.  Loving God is not about our emotions.  Agape is about our steadfast devotion shown by how we live our lives.  Similarly, loving our neighbor is shown by serving our neighbor.  By sacrificing for our neighbor. 

The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus when asked “who is my neighbor?”  But we can also read it to show what agape love is.  In that story, a Samaritan comes across an enemy lying in a ditch.  He is moved with compassion by his suffering, goes to him, gives him immediate medical assistance, puts him on his own animal, brings him to an inn, and continues to care for him.  Then he gives money for further medical care.  Jesus’ parable is meant to show what agape--love in action--looks like, specifically love for an enemy.

To make the connection even clearer, the first reading today shows God’s special concern for orphans, widows, immigrants, and the poor.  He tells his people that our agape, our love in action, needs to specifically embrace these vulnerable groups.    We, as a parish, have been living our love through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, our work with refugees, and our monthly sale of fair-trade products that provide a just wage to workers. 

In our wider world, we might look to the example of healthcare workers who put their lives on the line during the pandemic out of agape love for the sick.  We can also see first responders who do the same.  I think also of the grueling agape love of parenthood, daily putting love into action. 

A good saint for agape love, is St. Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest who was imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Nazis.  He voluntarily gave his life for another prisoners, willing going to his death out of love for a neighbor. 

I think we should all be more like my brother Joe, who loves deeply and widely, and is not afraid to tell it to the world.  We are made for love. 

This quote has been attributed to Mother Teresa, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.[1]

The more that we love, the more that we are like God.  And the more that God lives in us.  For God is love.   

 

 



[1] Actually by her biographer, Daphne Rae, Love Until It Hurts: The Work of Mother Teresa and Her Missionaries of Charity

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