Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 23/10/2011 - Gospel: Mt 22, 34-40
Imitator
The commercial advertising industry influences our outlook for life. It has made a big impact on all walks of life. Their purpose is to get as many people buying their products as possible because more people buying means more profits made. It employs all means of communication, both verbal and visual ones, to send a message across. Models and celebrities appear on motion media and in print press to make sure that the products reach many. Products are copyright. However, no copy rights restrict consumers in using the products.
In real life situations we are encouraged to learn from one another. Learning means to get inside or to copy or to imitate others. Fast learners are people who adapt to new situations quicker. To help us to learn better every trade proposes role models for us to learn from, to imitate and to adapt to. The idea of giving prizes or rewards is not simply recognition of someone's achievement but also encourages others to learn from that person. Without imitation there are many areas of life that can't be learnt. For example people who come to a dancing school must imitate step by step from their master. Martial art learning is a process of imitating movement by movement. Human beings learn about the animal movements when they captured their prey and they adapted them to the art of self defence. We can only create new movements after we have mastered the basics. Without the basics there is no proper creation.
A clear example of imitation in learning comes from parents. They teach their children to learn from them. We learn how to speak, how to behave, how to play games and how to do things. They all come from the family traditions or cultures of the society. People who copy better in learning a new language will learn faster and be more accurate. We praise them for the gift of linguistics. Parents teach us what to believe and how to practice our faith. Looking at the ways in which children behave and practice their faith we have some sense of the structure of their family. In other words through children's appearances we can trace back their parents' traits, features or behaviours.
St Paul in the letter sent to Thessalonians 1,5-7 asked us to imitate our lives from the Lord, Jesus. Exemplify our lives from no one else but from the Lord for His goodness is boundless and His love is true love and everlasting.
In answering to the Pharisees Jesus told them the greatest commandment is to imitate the love of God and put it into practice.
Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. The second one resembles it. Love your neighbour as yourself. Mat 22,35
We can't love God and hate our neighbours. The two go hand in hand. God's love is only in active in our lives when we put it into practice.
True love comes from Jesus. Apart from Him there is no perfect love. There can't be two perfect loves. There is only one and it comes from Jesus because God is love. The imitation of true love must learn from Him. Other concepts of love that come from human invention is less than perfect and what is less than perfect is able to corrupt. When the concept of love is corrupted human lives are at risks and the holiness of a human being is being insulted in the name of love. To imitate of God's love for others Jesus gave us a rule of thumb that is to do for others what you would like them to do for you. God's love becomes the role model of the perfect love for us to learn from. Our own love is the mirror reflecting from that perfect love. To avoid confusion we need to imitate God's love and look for guidance and help, nowhere else, but in God's love alone.
In real life situations we are encouraged to learn from one another. Learning means to get inside or to copy or to imitate others. Fast learners are people who adapt to new situations quicker. To help us to learn better every trade proposes role models for us to learn from, to imitate and to adapt to. The idea of giving prizes or rewards is not simply recognition of someone's achievement but also encourages others to learn from that person. Without imitation there are many areas of life that can't be learnt. For example people who come to a dancing school must imitate step by step from their master. Martial art learning is a process of imitating movement by movement. Human beings learn about the animal movements when they captured their prey and they adapted them to the art of self defence. We can only create new movements after we have mastered the basics. Without the basics there is no proper creation.
A clear example of imitation in learning comes from parents. They teach their children to learn from them. We learn how to speak, how to behave, how to play games and how to do things. They all come from the family traditions or cultures of the society. People who copy better in learning a new language will learn faster and be more accurate. We praise them for the gift of linguistics. Parents teach us what to believe and how to practice our faith. Looking at the ways in which children behave and practice their faith we have some sense of the structure of their family. In other words through children's appearances we can trace back their parents' traits, features or behaviours.
St Paul in the letter sent to Thessalonians 1,5-7 asked us to imitate our lives from the Lord, Jesus. Exemplify our lives from no one else but from the Lord for His goodness is boundless and His love is true love and everlasting.
In answering to the Pharisees Jesus told them the greatest commandment is to imitate the love of God and put it into practice.
Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. The second one resembles it. Love your neighbour as yourself. Mat 22,35
We can't love God and hate our neighbours. The two go hand in hand. God's love is only in active in our lives when we put it into practice.
True love comes from Jesus. Apart from Him there is no perfect love. There can't be two perfect loves. There is only one and it comes from Jesus because God is love. The imitation of true love must learn from Him. Other concepts of love that come from human invention is less than perfect and what is less than perfect is able to corrupt. When the concept of love is corrupted human lives are at risks and the holiness of a human being is being insulted in the name of love. To imitate of God's love for others Jesus gave us a rule of thumb that is to do for others what you would like them to do for you. God's love becomes the role model of the perfect love for us to learn from. Our own love is the mirror reflecting from that perfect love. To avoid confusion we need to imitate God's love and look for guidance and help, nowhere else, but in God's love alone.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia