Sunday, January 30, 2022

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - TRUE Love

 

Love – Homily for January 29th

 

Saint Paul in our 2nd reading today gives us an examination of conscience about whether we have true love in our heart for God and also our neighbor

 

1) “Love is patient” – are you patient?  We live in a world that is going faster and faster each day, which is a temptation to be inpatient.  Do I drive patiently?  Do I wait in line patiently?  Am I patient with my children?  With my spouse?

 

2) “love is kind” – Am I kind?  There is a sign I’ve seen over the years that says “Just be kind”  But saint Paul teaches that there is more to it than JUST being kind, but kindness is an aspect of Love.  Are you kind to those you meet for the first time… but also are you kind to your children, your family, and those that you have known for a long time?  So often it is easy to take for granted those whom we have known for a long time.


3) “Love is not jealous” – are you jealous of anyone?  Jealousy is one of the seven deadly sins

4) “Love is not pompous, and it is not inflated” – pomposity is the deadly sin of pride

5) “Love is not rude” – are we rude to each other?  Social media and the anonymity have caused a seemingly 2,000 percent increase in rudeness – are we part of that?


6) “Love does not seek its own interests” – Do you put your needs first, or do you put your neighbors needs above your needs?


7) “Love is not quick-tempered” – do we blow up at others, either out loud or in the silence of our heart? 

 

8) “Love does not brood over injury” – do we do that?  Do we sulk and meditate on the wrongs that have been done to us?


9) “Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing” – what is wrongdoing?  We have to first understand and know what wrongdoing is.  There is a moral code that Christ gives us which is why Saint Paul ends this examination of conscience with…

10) “Love rejoices with the truth.”  Love rejoices in the Truth, and Love does not rejoice in lies.  There are a lot of lies being uttered these days…do we spread these lies…do we believe these lies…or do we rejoice in the Truth?

No comments:

Post a Comment