Romans 12:9-16b
9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16a-b Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
10… love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Today, on the Festival of the Visitation of Mary, we celebrate the moment that the mother of John the Baptist and the Mother of Our Lord met each other while they were both pregnant. In that moment, John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb as he recognized Jesus. In that moment, Mary sang her song of praise, the Magnificat, which includes the themes that her Son would later teach us.
10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Jesus came into this world to show us the healing and sustaining power of God’s love. Over and over again, he broke tradition and violated the rules in favor of a loving response to those who were suffering. Jesus taught and healed people from every part of the social order. He touched the untouchables, spoke with the outcasts, and forgave those who felt lost in sin. That behavior was so abhorrent to those with power and authority that they had him arrested and executed.
10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Hate has no place in a life of faith. Persecution, cruelty and slander have no place in a life of faith. When they rear their ugly heads in our faith communities, we are compelled by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to speak out and to stand with those who are being harmed.
Prayer: Blessed Holy Spirit, thank you for singing of your justice and love through the mouths of Hannah, and Mary, and Zechariah, and Elizabeth, and John the Baptist, and the Church in every age. AMEN