Charity is also Clarity (Monday, Week 30, Year 2)

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Yesterday, the gospel passage was all about love. I am sure many priests must have said a lot of things about the theme of love. When we talk about “loving our neighbours”, what we generally think about are: helping them in whichever way we can when they are in need; feeding them when they are hungry; not oppressing them in any way; and so on. In fact, the first reading (cf. Exo. 22:21-27) yesterday was very emphatic on that: you shall NOT OPPRESS, AFFLICT or WRONG a stranger, an orphan and a widow; you shall NOT EXACT INTEREST when you lend money to any person; and so on”. Our general idea of love is all about how not to offend and how to offer some material help to people if the need arises. If we understand a neighbour as anyone in need, the “need” must not only be a material one. It could even be a need for moral guidance. Therefore, love does not end in offering material support. It also includes instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful and admonishing sinners. In fact, according to our faith, these are categorized as the spiritual works of mercy and love.

In the first reading (cf. Eph. 4:32-5:8), St Paul admonished the Ephesians to walk in love as Christ loved us: LOVE AS CHRIST LOVED. Christ did not only love when He healed the sick or fed the multitude or cast out demons from people. He also loved when he admonished sinners, counseled and instructed the doubtful and ignorant people around Him. In the gospel reading (cf. Luke 13:10-17), He healed a woman who was sick for 18 years. A great act of love and mercy indeed! He also instructed the ruler of the synagogue who was indignant because He healed on the Sabbath day. Another act of love! After Paul had told the Ephesians that they should walk in love, he went further to tell them that “immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among them”. And he said it loud and clear that “they should be sure and certain that no immoral or impure person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ”. St Paul loved the Ephesians; that was why he was firm and clear in communicating to them the truth. He didn’t explain it away. He said it as it is.

We live in a society that expects you not to be firm and clear about the truth. We live in a society that calls you a hater when you condemn a lifestyle that is clearly unchristian and immoral. We live in a society that has a one-sided understanding of “love”. Love demands that we should tolerate one another, forgive one another, be patient with one another, and accept everyone as a brother or sister no matter his or her moral status. But love also demands that we should be firm and clear about the truth. Love demands that we should condemn sin but not the sinner.   


      

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