Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 22:34-40

JESUS USES THE WORD “AGAPEOS” WHEN HE TELLS US TO LOVE GOD AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR. IN GREEK THERE ARE MANY WORDS FOR LOVE, OR I SHOULD SAY THEY HAD FOUR WORDS FOR LOVE AND WE ONLY HAVE ONE. AND UNFORTUNATELY IN ENGLISH EVEN WHEN WE PROCLAIM OUR LOVE FOR GOD OR FOR OUR NEIGHBOR, WE DON’T PROBABLY MEAN QUITE WHAT THE WORD AGAPEOS MEANS IN GREEK.

AGAPEOS REFERRED TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A HUSBAND AND WIFE, OR A PARENT AND CHILD. THE GREEKS HAD ANOTHER WORD, “EROS” FOR A KIND OF LOVE BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE, A NATURAL LOVE IN WHICH SEXUAL ATTRACTION PLAYED A ROLE. LIKEWISE, THEY HAD A WORD, “SORGE” FOR THE KIND OF NATURAL LOVE A FATHER HAD FOR HIS CHILD. THESE WERE DISTINCT FROM THE LOVE DESCRIBED BY AGAPEOS. IF WE TRIED TO DISSECT OUT THE MEANING OF AGAPEOS, WE WOULD NOTE THAT FIRST OF ALL, IT WAS A DISPASSIONATE WORD. IT SEEMED TO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FEELINGS. SECOND, IT WAS A LOVE THAT REQUIRED NOTHING IN RETURN, UNLIKE EROS, UNLIKE SORGE, UNLIKE THE FOURTH KIND OF LOVE, PHILEA, WHICH DESCRIBED THE DEEP FRIENDSHIP THAT RESEMBLED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS OR TWO SISTERS. IN ALL OF THESE LOVES, THERE HAD TO BE SOME GIVE-BACK. IF YOU HAD WARM FEELINGS FOR YOUR CHILD, BUT THE CHILD NEVER RETURNED THOSE FEELINGS, YOU WOULD SOON RUN OUT OF STORGE, BUT COULD CONTINUE WITH AGAPEOS.

THE THIRD FEATURE OF AGAPEOS IS THAT IT IS A LOVE THAT GIVES ITSELF UP; IT IS A SELF-EMPTYING LOVE. WITH AGAPEOS YOU LOVE TO THE POINT OF PUTTING THE GOOD OF THE OTHER AHEAD OF YOUR OWN. YOU ARE WILLING TO GIVE YOURSELF UP. AND JESUS POINTED OUT THIS KIND OF LOVE WHEN HE SAID THAT “GREATER LOVE THAN THIS HAS NO MAN, THAN THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIEND.” AND JESUS DEMONSTRATED THIS KIND OF LOVE IN HIS SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS.

SO WE MIGHT HAVE A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION OF WHAT JESUS MEANT IF WE SAID, “GIVE YOURSELF TO GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, MIND, AND SOUL; AND GIVE YOURSELF TO YOUR NEIGHBOR AS MUCH AS YOU GIVE YOUR SELF TO YOURSELF.

AGAPEOS IS AN ACTION VERB. IF YOU DON’T GIVE YOURSELF UP, YOU AREN’T DOING IT. EVERY HUSBAND AND WIFE, EVERY PARENT AND CHILD, UNDERSTAND THIS; WHEN YOU SAY, “I LOVE YOU” IT ONLY MEANS SOMETHING WHEN THERE IS ACTION TO BACK IT UP. AND THE STRENGTH OF LOVE, WE INSTINCTIVELY UNDERSTAND, IS WHEN THAT ACTION REQUIRES NOTHING IN RETURN I SUSPECT GOOD PARENTS LOVE THEIR CHILDREN IN THIS WAY; AND THAT’S THE KIND OF LOVE GOD IS ASKING OF US FOR HIMSELF, AND FOR OUR NEIGHBOR.

I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT LOVE OF NEIGHBOR WOULD LOOK LIKE IF WE PRACTICED AGAPE LOVE. WE WOULD BE LOOKING FOR NEEDS TO FILL, FOR EMPTINESS TO BE FILLED UP, FOR LONELINESS TO BE CONQUERED. WE WOULD BE UPSET TO SEE SOMEONE WHO WAS HOMELESS OR HUNGRY, UPSET ENOUGH TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I ACTUALLY PRACTICE AGAPE LOVE AND MANY TIMES WHEN I DON’T, AND THAT’S PROBABLY TRUE FOR YOU AS WELL.

BUT HOW DO WE DO AGAPE LOVE WHERE GOD IS CONCERNED? AFTER ALL GOD NEEDS NOTHING FROM ME; AND GOD IS NOT REALLY LONELY OR HOMELESS OR EMPTY IN ANY SENSE. SO HOW DO I GIVE MYSELF UP FOR GOD, HOW DO I SHOW GOD THAT I LOVE HIM IN THAT DISPASSIONATE WAY THAT DEMANDS NOTHING IN RETURN AND EMPTIES MYSELF OUT?

DOWN THROUGH THE AGES PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS QUESTION AND GIVEN DIFFERENT ANSWERS. ONE IS THAT WE DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, GOD BECOME MAN, BECAUSE AS MAN HE SUFFERED AND WE CAN CONSOLE HIM; HE WAS LONELY AND WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT LONELINESS; HE WAS SCORNED AND WE CAN HONOR HIM. PEOPLE WHO ARE DEVOTED TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT UNDERSTAND THIS, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE HE IS REALLY PRESENT TO US IN THE APPEARANCE OF BREAD AND WINE.

ANOTHER WAY, JESUS HIMSELF SUGGESTED, IS THAT WHATEVER WE DO FOR THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS, WE DO FOR HIM, AND HE IS BOTH MAN AND GOD. THE FOUNDER OF THE SALVATION ARMY, WILLIAM BOOTH, DECIDED THAT THIS WAS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERED, AND TO THIS DAY PEOPLE WHO BELONG TO THAT DENOMINATION DON’T HAVE SACRAMENTS LIKE BAPTISM AND HOLY COMMUNION, SPEND VERY LITTLE TIME IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY, JUST ENOUGH TO GET THEIR ENTHUSIASM GOING, AND SPEND A LOT OF TIME SERVING THEIR FELLOW MEN, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE LADDER. THAT IS THEIR WORSHIP.

ALL CHRISTIANS CAN’T GO WRONG DOING EITHER OF THOSE. BUT A THIRD WAY OF LOVING GOD IN AGAPE LOVE IS TO GIVE OURSELVES TO GOD. THIS MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT HE WANTS FROM US DISPASSIONATELY -- NOT HANGING ON TO ALL THE BAGGAGE WE CARRY AROUND, NOT INSISTING ON DOING IT OUR WAY, NOT HIS. IT MEANS WE APPROACH GOD WANTING NOTHING IN RETURN, ACCEPTING WHATEVER HE GIVES US; AND IT MEANS WE SEEK OUT HIS WILL, IN THE SCRIPTURES AND IN THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH, AND FOLLOW THEM TO THE POINT THAT WE SACRIFICE OURSELVES IF NECESSARY. THE POINT OF ALL THIS IS THAT WE BECOME OTHER CHRISTS, SO THAT WE BECOME ONE WITH HIM IN SELF-SACRIFICING LOVE, WE JOIN HIM ON THE CROSS. AND THAT IS AGAPE LOVE FOR GOD, TO DELIBERATELY SET OUT TO BECOME HIS SON OR HIS DAUGHTER.