LOVE MAKES DEATH OUR FRIEND::: SATURDAY OF THE 30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Year A

Philippians 94:18b-26

Psalm 42:2.3.5cdefg (R. 3ab)

Luke 14:1.7-11

LOVE MAKES DEATH OUR FRIEND

Song of Solomon 8:6:  

“Place me like a seal over your heart, or like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, and its jealousy is as enduring as grave.”

As I was meditating on today's first reading, this quote from the Songs of Songs came up and this lead me to understand why Paul will say death is gain for him.

It is popular knowledge that death is stronger than any other thing people know, because humanly speaking there is no cure discovered for death. No one can escape it, and everyone will die. Whatever power, wealth, possession you will have, at your final day it will not matter, death will finally conquer. 

However when we look at God's revealed plan of redemption in Sacred Scriptures,  we can say love is even stronger than death. 

John 15:13
 “No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends.”

Jesus Christ defeated death by His love toward you and me. God’s love is stronger than death. And that is the Love we have be called to.

 Hebrews 2:15 

 “Jesus did this to make us free from the fear of death. We no longer need to be chained to this fear.”

Because of Jesus Christ's Love for us, we have an antidote for death, and in fact death has become our friend through which we enter into eternity. Because if Loving means sacrificing self for others or laying your life down for others, then death is the height that Love can go, leading to transformation and glorification.

So if we sincerely Love God, the height that our Love can go is surrendering our whole life without reserve to God. We must become true to our nature, humble. All  humans are called to humility. To show Love to God or others, humility is key. Humility is the mother of the virtues. 

So in the gospel, Jesus Christ from his parable teaches humility.  Humility is therefore the height and depth of Love. With humility you can see higher than the height of the heavens, lower than the depth of the oceans,  and further than the eyes can see.

By Sylvester Amakye-Quayson