December 7, 2017
Thursday, 1st
Week of Advent
1st Reading: Is 26:1–6Gospel:
Mt 7:21, 24–27
Jesus said to his disciples, “Not everyone who says to me “Lord! Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. “So, then, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house, but it did not collapse because it was built on rock.
But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible fall that was!”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
In legal parlance, “object (presented) as evidence” is described as one addressed to the senses of the court. Love is like that. To be genuine love must be capable of being addressed to the senses of the beloved. Genuine love is acted upon to the effect that its fruits are seen, felt, and in many occasions even touched and tasted by the beloved.
Love verbalized is good enough. Cebuano husband tells Tagalog wife: “Dear, Mahogany ka, Narra ko for you”. Tagalog wife thinks the husband is comparing themselves to these two kinds of wood. Cebuano husband repeats by texting the message to her: “Mahog gani ka, narra ko for you.” This Cebuano phrase means, “When you fall I will be there for you”. Wife is overjoyed. It’s music to her ears. But while love verbalized is music to the ears, soon it becomes noise if not acted upon. Try saying the word love many times, and you will soon sound like saying “blah, blah, blah”!
Is action the best thing that can happen to love? Not necessarily! Let’s explain using the scoring in tennis. No tennis player would want to hear the word “love” from the scorer. That is because in tennis, love refers to a score of zero. It spells defeat. Something happens to love where selfish motives are involved. Even if love is acted upon, where hidden motives are selfish, the beloved is at the losing end. The action to which love is translated must pertain to the good of the beloved.
When love redounds to the good of the beloved, it assumes a personality to become the person of the lover. The best model is the Word set into action when it became flesh and dwelt among us. There was nothing for God in there. Everything was for the good of humanity. God didn’t just practice love. He became love. That is why we say GOD IS LOVE. No better evidence can be addressed to the senses of the beloved than love becoming the person of the lover! –(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM.
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