Making Present Christ's Law Of Love

Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Course

Today’s Gospel can be entitled “the hierarchy of laws.” Jesus is the ultimate wise man—distinguished from the more common “wise guy” by asking a question that anybody in a non-mechanical society could feel reasonable. Not everyone owned an ox or ass; the poor could not make that claim. But everyone knew somebody with an ox or ass. They could not do any good if they fell into a pit. So obviously they had to be drawn out of that kind of peril. That would have to be done, even on Shabat. There is, then, a law more fundamental than keeping the seventh day with no manual labor. It is the law of love, which would recognize that valuable animals could not be left in a pit where they could not help the family. It would even legitimize my helping my neighbor drag the animal out of the hole. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Let’s keep that overarching commandment that governs the majority of the ten commandments in mind as we look at St. Paul’s admonitions to the people of Philippi. Note that he makes special mention of the bishops and deacons, men we would call “clergy,” and realize why. These were the leaders of the various communities in Philippi, so they would be held to the highest standard so that any bad behavior would not give unbelievers a reason to ignore the Gospel call.

Paul gives thanks for the saints in Philippi at every "mneia" of them. Yes, the word in English is “remembrance” or “memory,” but the Greek has more of a liturgical feel to it. Remember that Jesus, instituting the Eucharist, said “do this in remembrance of me.” So in some way the prayer for or mention of the Philippians, in his mind, makes the folks in Philippi somehow present to him. They are that precious. He considers them to be partners in the Gospel, because they are an important limb in the Body of Christ, the Church. The almost romantic words he uses toward the end of today’s lesson tell us of his affection and constant desire to make them close to him.

This makes his prayer for this community all the more significant: “that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” That is a prayer everyone of us should lift up to God for anyone associated with us in spreading the Good News of Christ.