Sunday, September 7, 2014

The obligation to love



Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

Romans 13: 8-10

There are countless times in the classroom when I have spelled out the Great Commandment, about its implications for our relationships, about how love will – with time and commitment – transfigure our relationships into something akin to the way that God loves us. Unremittingly, unconditionally, unfathomably, uncontrollably, unequivocally, unerringly. There are no boundaries to God’s love, but what we are commissioned to do, is to love our neighbour, love each other – as God loves us.

Paul is not suggesting that obeying this Great Commandment means minimising risk of causing hurt or doing as little damage as possible in our relationships. Not at all. Loving our neighbour is an obligation, and if we fulfil this obligation we will not need to consciously attend to or ‘obey’ the commandments, because they will have been fulfilled in spirit and in truth by loving our neighbour. Indeed, failing to love, means failing to keep the commandments.

In his ministry Jesus persistently challenged the Pharisees to move beyond their nominal obedience to commandments to fulfilling the commandments by loving: where it is fulfilled not by an internal, self-discipline, but is completed by extending oneself, reaching beyond oneself in self-giving love. The Pharisees couldn’t see it. And in truth, most of us don’t either. It is easier to obey the Decalogue and claim we are compliant and sin-free, and to address the failures of others.

The world in which we live is governed by innumerable laws, regulations, guidelines from our three tiers of government, and the courts and bureaucracies that spawn volumes of interpretations and applications. It is, in fact, no different than the Palestine of Jesus’ time. So, if we feel overwhelmed by the political correctness and social imposts of the 21st century, the obligation to love is no less today than it was for Paul. If anything, our world is yearning to be transfigured from its crucifix of pain, to a resurrected, life-giving City of God.



Peter



Mark Workman farewell





After the Monica Brown day at St Thomas More's on Friday 19 September 2014, there will be a farewell afternoon tea for Mark Workman at a venue yet to be confirmed. All principals and TCEO staff are most welcome to attend. Beginning at about 3.45 p.m. 


Peter's whereabouts for the next 2 weeks






Meetings coming up

Please forward any agenda items for meetings (with some indication of time required and context) to Carole at carole.goodwin@catholic.tas.edu.au 




Workplace WHS training





AROUND THE SCHOOLS


From Larmenier


From St Brigid's 







From St Peter Chanel




From Stella Maris




From Marist



From Sacred Heart, Ulverstone






From St Patrick's, Latrobe




From St Thomas More's





From Our Lady of Lourdes






From St Joseph's, Queenstown



From St Anthony's




From St Brendan-Shaw




From St Patrick's, Prospect





From Star of the Sea




From Sacred Heart, Launceston





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