Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
As the United States comes to terms with its history of slavery, it is good to ponder the life of Saint Martin de Porres. He was one of the first canonized saints of the Americas. Born of a noble father and freed-slave mother, he entered the Dominican Order as a lay brother. His charity routinely exceeded the limits of obedience; during a plague, he was known to pass through locked doors to care for the sick. I have found several churches dedicated to Saint Martin in several cities, invariably parishes for African-American Catholics.
Martin demonstrates Saint Paul's injunction, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another." I often think of that as I visit patients in the VA hospital. There would be no human race if we did not care for one another. Our infants could not survive, our elderly could not teach us, our disabled would not inspire us with their courage, our sick would die like animals in the wilderness.
And yet Americans devoutly, passionately believe in a zero-sum competition. It manifests itself in some places as racial war which "black" Americans are expected to begin and "white" Americans will end. That myth, of course, is spawned by white racists who, having lost their place in a competition fixed for the wealthy, would crush the less fortunate. Armed to the teeth, they create terror among blacks and white, and threaten the very foundations of democracy.
Saint Martin would show us another way: "Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law."
The conversion to that kind of love begins, oddly enough, with hearing Jesus's teaching today, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
This "hatred" is a renunciation of everything we know and a suspicion of all assumptions. We want to see as God sees and know as God knows; to love as Jesus loves. Taught to believe in the natural superiority of some people over others, and that limited resources require a fatal competition of the fittest, we renounce that nonsense and walk in Jesus's footsteps. We remember that he fed thousands with a few loaves of bread, and walked on water when he needed to cross the Sea of Galilee. Nothing is impossible for those who love God.
The saints continually teach us to trust in God's providence. There is more than enough to go around when everyone shares without fear, greed, or reluctance. I learned that at the table where my family ate together.
Our history of slavery is shameful, but shame is no burden when we love one another. We recognize the sins of our ancestors as Jesus recognized his and follow his footsteps.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.