Love and Truth

by David Lins  |  10/15/2023  |  (Being) Catholic Matters

This weekend’s Gospel is the second consecutive Gospel where Jesus breaks out of the box many Catholics (as well as other Christian denominations) put him in.

They tend to believe God only got upset in the Old Testament. He was (insert thunder sound effect) the God of Judgement!

Then, Jesus came along and told his Dad to “chill out.” It’s all about love. (Sure. He flipped some tables, but he was probably having a rough day.)

So. Many. Problems. With. This.

God’s temperament has never changed. He is God and he is perfect. His judgement is—and always has been—rooted in love.

Every year, our daughter is becoming more convinced that the only thing we enjoy more than telling her what to do, is telling her all the things she shouldn’t do. She doesn’t understand it is all rooted in love. Get your rest. Look people in the eye when addressing them. Eat your veggies. Say your prayers. Don’t storm off when you don’t get your way. Don’t play in the road. Our judgements, rules, advice, counsel, and consequences are all rooting in love.

This is a grain of sand compared to God’s love for us. And God’s judgement and love go hand-in-hand. Loving, but firm. And we see it in the Gospel...

Last week, Jesus used the parable of the vineyard to tell the church leadership that if they didn’t get their act together, they’d lose the “garden.” They understood and would’ve killed him right then if it weren’t for the crowds.

This week, he doubles down. He uses another parable to explain how they’ve been invited to the eternal feast, but they’ve rejected that invitation. He let’s them know without any doubts, they will be replaced. Courageous. Honest. Loving.

This is not a God who is conflict-averse. Love is always worth hard conversations. Love is worth the truth  And Jesus loved them too much not to confront them.

And he loves us just as much, so what does he want to confront us about? What do we need to change?