Gospel Reflections for April 24 2016
No Rules! No Government!
Today’s Gospel actually makes that same point.
James Madison, the author of our US Constitution and fourth President also had the same idea; “If people were angels …there would be no need for government!”
After all, if people authentically loved each other as Angels do, there would be no crime at all; no freeway speeding, no bank robberies, and certainly no terrorism. It is our lack of love that requires rules, regulations, and the police. This Gospel believes angelic love is possible.
I agree, because I see it often among engaged couples and yet, they seem to have so many “rules.”
They will always call each other every day, always ask how the other is doing, and always seek even more time with each other. Do they see all those “always” behaviors as “rules?” …In no way! They enjoy them!
Their love expresses the Gospel and even James Madison’s ideas well. If we authentically love someone, we naturally and freely orient all our behavior around our loved one. People in love don’t think they are following any rules at all. They just freely and always align their behaviors in ways that match their love. But the love must come first.
Can you imagine what would happen on their first date if they both said, “It is nice to meet you …now here are my rules!” …I think It would be their last date!
In the same way, some people unfortunately experience religion first as just a set of rules, so they leave. If they have not yet felt the love of God they will only see a bureaucratic institution. Yet the Church is precisely the opposite. We seek first the love that Our Lord offers …not rules.
Fortunately we know love is stronger than mere obedience to rules. People in love will joyfully follow very demanding loving behaviors toward loved ones because they really want to, not because they have to. That is also the love that Pope Francis references in his recent letter “The Joy of Love.”
Everything you see at Mass; the gestures, music, vestments, and prayers are not just bureaucratic rules to follow but rather expressions of a profound love that is already present. They only make sense if we have already felt, even if just a little bit, the profound and deep unconditional love of God.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Image taken by Matt H. Wade and used with permission.
With great love for the Universal Catholic Church, there is great obedience whether one is a bishop, priest, seminarian, deacon, religious or layperson. Saying this, it took a bit of time like it must have for others to understand why Fr. Dave would receive a new assignment to St. Bruno’s Catholic Church which is so far from the many communities in Conejo/Ventura area. I came to the conclusion is that this assignment will provide new and holy opportunities for Fr. Dave and for the University Series to continue to grow. Although it is difficult for many in parish communities to see him leaving the area, we know it is for a greater good based on great obedience to his vows to the priesthood and his will to continue to serve a new community in the best way possible. Much success with your new assignment!
Thank you for your message. I certainly will always follow what our Archbishop says.
Love your commentary as always Father Dave!!!Love is what life is all about!!! Love gives meaning and purpose to life!! Love is a precious gift given to us!!! Love brings immense joy!!! God created us in love !!! God loved us soooooooooooooo much He sent his only begotten Son so that we might have eternal life!!! and we are only asked to live in Jesus’ love! and share it with others!!! Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee our precious faith of love and joy!!!! Have a beautiful day in Jesus’ and Mary’s sweet love for we are all sooooooooooo blessed!! Love being a Catholic!! and so love our amazing God, our precious Jesus, our beautiful Blessed Mother, our incredibly ,lovely Divine Faith and love you and all our beautiful family, and our dear friends!! Love is the hear beat of our life!!!
Loveeeeee, Franca and Dick
y
and dear friends!!! It’s a beautiful like with Jesus and love as it’s heartbeat!!!
and beautiful, authentic,God centered rules help to enhance our love!!! and commitment to each other and others!!!!
Well said!
So I guess that where there is love there is only one rule, and it is golden: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
As Jesus Himself said!
Fr. Dave,
You did it again! Just beautiful! Thank you ever so much for making Love of God our main goal.
Help me Dear God to love you more today than I did the day before.
Your Southern follower,
Rita
That is a beautiful prayer! Thank you.
Great reflection Fr. Dave. Thanks for sharing.
I am glad you found it helpful.
As always, Fr Dave, you are so insightful. Wish you could say the 9 AM Mass each Sunday as I enjoy your homilies. Love does indeed make the world go round. Stop the love and fear, anger and fighting quickly creep in to take it’s place.
Yes, you are right, so we do our part to keep love, hope, and faith going!
An example is love without rules is little children. They love freely and unconditionally. I like your example of the items in the mass are a symbol of Christ’s love. Also, the priest’ s love for his parish is a representative of God’s love. I always feel peaceful at mass.
💒
If we love authentically there are no rules. We instinctively love automatically!
Jesus often broke the rules, healing on the Sabbath, talking to a Samaritan woman, washing the feet
of a prostitute etc. His lesson for us is that love precedes the rules.
As in the Commandments, love rules and good things happen!
Well said!
How wonderful it would be if we always could “speak the language of angels” with
only words of love. And, there is the challenge: every day in every way, may our
actions and words be loving, kind and “angelic”.
Bob and Rose Mary
keeping that every day habit of angelic actions and words is the goal, and not that hard actually if we practice every day.
At first reading your comments I was going… what ??? … When you were talking of obedience and the Gospel was on love. Then you threw that zinger at the end. Very clever.
When you mentioned about the Church having all the rules as people see it, I was reminded of the Hebrew Bible and studying the 1st five books. It is in the study of that you can realize how much God loves us. It seems like a lot of rules and regs for just following God and that’s all there is too it. But when you study it and begin to understand the meaning behind it all, you can realise how much God really loves us and the depth of how much He loves us.
Love one another is really a choice. When I made an effort to lforgive my dad who was a violent alcoholic, it was a 2 year bqattle and it was saying that I forgive him and Lord you change my heart. When that became real then the love manifested and the Lord showed me why he was the way he was and when we realise that hurting people hurt others it is much easier to have compassion and the love grows from there and hopefully we can understand Gods’ love for us.
Moving to Simi, which is something I didn’t want to do and over the 1st year I had to grapple with it – When things happened to change my life I realised why I was here and realise Gods love for me no matter how I felt it was the best thing God could have done. (That’s another long story —) But the point I am making is that once we realise Gods love for us we can really understand that it is much easier to love the unloveable.
And yes, I read one of the comments about you going far far far away and I do know that even though we will miss you terribly that the University will continue and He has great plans for you there. I can’t wait to here it all and we will.
Thanks for your message. Yes, the University, and these weekly reflections will continue for sure!
What a great connection to make- between in-love couples and love of the Church that brings us to Jesus. If we feel loved by God, going to Mass and performing the rituals is not a burden but something we want to do. For a number of years now I have an early morning time slot to be with Jesus in adoration. On occasion someone will say to me- “how can you do that at that hour”. For me its not “how can I..” truly it is “I get to…” It is an honor and a pleasure to spend an hour with Jesus and most times I have the time alone with Him. How great is that!
Thanks for making a “home-run” analogy for us.