Love Proclaimed!

Today's Readings

It can never be overstated enough of how much we are loved by God, and in that love we are able to love Him back, and love one another!  

"Beloved, we love God because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

So because of His love, and our ability to love in return, we are more than capable to get to work at loving the world!

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Luke 4: 18-19)

Now I have blogged, "GregCast-ed", and have presented time, and time again on this part of the Gospel.  I am by no means an expert, nor am I an adequate role-model of its challenge, but I do have a definite understanding of what I believe we are called to do in loving, and changing the world.

• Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor:  I will define "poor" as not having enough of something, that everyone else needs.  When those who are "poor", whether they are low on money, or happiness, or friendship, are in our midst.  It is our duty to respond, and attempt to give them what they need!  The Church calls it, "a preferential option for the poor"!  When the angels brought "glad tidings" to the shepherds, they announced the arrival of Emmanuel, "God With Us", and in so doing, announced the light that our dark world needed! (cf. Isaiah 9:1 and Matthew 4:16)

• Proclaim Liberty to Captives:  Those who are held captive to loneliness, poverty, bad days, or that nagging co-worker are freed with God's love!  The past few days of this blog has advocated for action; that is loving thy neighbor. (Matthew 25: 35-40)  When we share the love of God, we actually liberate the lonely, because now they are not alone!  We liberate the impoverished, because now they are "rich" in love!  We liberate the bad day with the "Good News"!  And that nagging co-worker?  Well, if we can get a word in, we liberate their rant by letting them know that they are about more than the petty complaint... They too are loved by God first, rendering anything else to insignificance.

• Recover Sight to the Blind:  We must continue to identify what's wrong with our world, and demand that it change for the better!  You can fill in the blanks, but PLEASE love, live and study your faith, because justice is more than OPINION or POLITICAL PREFERENCE, or a vote on the floor of the Congress.  Justice is what is right in the eyes of the Law of God!  "Let justice surge like waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream." (Amos 5:24)

• Let the Oppressed Go Free:  As we seek justice, we also provide hope for the imprisoned.  Many people who are oppressed share in the hope that someday they will be free.  There are millions across our globe that are trapped in a prison that they do not deserve to be in; most recently as seen in Syria.  Others deserve to be in prison, for they have committed their crimes, and are serving their just punishment.  But criminals should not be eternally defined by their crime, just as we are not eternally defined by our sin.  When we visit the imprisoned, we help them know that they are forgiven and loved by God (and us)! There's certainly a scriptural precedent here in the words of the Penitent Thief as he confesses and asks Jesus to be remembered in his kingdom (cf. Luke 23:41)  Remember that imprisonment comes in other forms than being behind bars.  There are many who are imprisoned to addiction, and abuse, and yes, oppression that need to be visited, and walked with, and reassured that they are especially loved!

• Proclaim a Year Acceptable to the Lord:  Finally, we are asked to PROCLAIM that all is well, and all that NEED God should "come on down" (a la "Down to the River").  Those who are burdened need to know that someone has just entered their world that is ready to help carry their load.  That someone has to be YOU and ME!

"For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments.  And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.  And the victory that conquers the world is our faith." (1 John 5: 3-4)