Prepare to be surprised

Today, we have come once again to sit in the presence of Jesus.  Here, we hope to learn from him whatever it is that we need to learn so that we can continue in the coming week to live as his disciples.  The gospel passage we have heard today is the continuation of the episode we heard last week.  Once again, we are seated with all those friends of Jesus who gathered in the synagogue in Nazareth, hoping to hear him say something wonderful.  Perhaps they expected him to recognize the role they had played in helping him to grow, to learn and to be prepared to face the world.  Jesus was expecting them to ask him to perform a miracle.  After all, they had already heard of such things happening in Capernaum (cf Lk 4:23).  However, the words Jesus spoke surprised them.  The words of the gospel should always surprise us, jar us, wake us up.  In this way, we learn how to listen as though we have never heard the story before.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus, we are gathered in the school of love.  Here we learn more and more every time we gather about how we should love, and what better teacher can we have to teach us about love than the author of love.  Our God, who has always longed to share the gift of love with us, spoke to the prophet Jeremiah saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you (Jer 1:5).  Each one of us can find great reassurance and consolation by spending time in prayer, simply repeating these words in our minds and in our hearts because the gift of love that was offered to Jeremiah has also been offered to each one of us, and God’s love is not like human love: it is not based on any conditions but rather, it is freely given regardless of what we might have done, regardless of what excuses we have invented in order to distance ourselves from the author of love.

Saint Paul helps us today to deepen our understanding of the love that Jesus wants to share with us.   Instead of being lured away by the voices of this world that make all kinds of empty promises, our God invites us to taste the same sweetness that the apostles and the saints have known.   Attempting to explain the depth of this treasure, Saint Paul says: Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude (1 Cor 13:4-5).

It should always surprise us to hear these words.  We live in a world that strives to be patient, yet human efforts will always fall short of God’s ability to be patient with us.  In an ideal world, we would all be kind to one another, but God will always outdo us in kindness.  If we truly want to be disciples, we will constantly judge our words and actions in terms of whether or not they are willing to bear all things, believe all things, hope always and even endure all things (cf 1 Cor 13:7).  This sounds idyllic, yet this is how our God loves us.

Dear friends, in this place, week after week, imperfect humans dare to stand in the presence of our God who alone is perfect.  Here, we are encouraged – over and over – and always with infinite gentleness and compassion as we progress toward the truth that is the source of our rejoicing (cf 1 Cor 13:6).