Reflection for 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

“Dear Ruth, I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to stop by for a visit. Love Always, Jesus.”

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.” With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. $5.45, enough for some bread and cold cuts, at least. She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. She bought a loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk, leaving Ruth with 12 cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

“Hey lady, can you help us, lady?” Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. “Look lady, I ain’t got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we’d really appreciate it.”

Ruth looked at them both - dirty, smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. “Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.” “Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.”

The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. “Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.” She handed the man her grocery bag. “Thank you, lady. Thank you very much!” Ruth could see that the man’s wife was shivering. “You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked home ... without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. “Thank you, lady! Thank you very much!”

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. “That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day.” She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

“Dear Ruth, It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat. Love Always, Jesus.”

Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind. The Old Testament also adds, with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. I have always found that most challenging. Do I really love God with all my heart and all my strength? And then Jesus reminds us today of what one writer calls the surprise of the Gospel – the love of God and love of neighbor cannot be separated. Our neighbors, especially those who cannot help themselves, reflect God’s image. Loving them is loving God. Love of God is not just expressed through thought and prayer; it must be carried out by our loving actions towards others. We are given the grace to see God face to face by looking into the face of our neighbor. That neighbor may be as unlovely as Jesus was unlovely, despised, and rejected. That neighbor may even be our enemy. But the joy of recognition will come.

Perhaps some of you were hoping that I could explain exactly what it means to love God and love your neighbor with your whole heart, with your whole mind and with all your strength. Jesus left it up to us and so I leave it up to you. Loving God and loving our neighbor are both one and the same act of faith. That is exactly what Jesus was asking of the Pharisees. It is his invitation to us as well. Watch your mailbox for his letter.

If you have a brief faith reflection on today’s reading that you would like to share, please send it to me at deaconruss@holyspiritunoh.org.