The Spiritual Waiting Room
Unpayable
Love Choice
Fulfillment Moral Law
Love Neighbor As Yourself
Requirement
(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)
Scripture: Romans 13:8
You should owe nothing to anyone except to have love for one another.
If you love one another, you have fulfilled all the requirements of the Law.
Reflection
Have you ever accumulated a debt that you thought was unpayable? As you struggled with that, you might have wondered where you were going to get the money to pay it all back.
In our scripture from Romans, Paul is encouraging us to have only one debt. He is calling us to have love for one another.
When you think about this, we all have a debt that is unpayable. God has Loved us with a love that is so huge and complete that we can never pay that depth of Love back. We try to respond partially by the loving choices we make.
We try to spread sunshine into the lives of those who are burdened.
We try to reach out to others with a thoughtful telephone call.
We try to advocate for justice for those who are treated unfairly.
Those loving choices fulfill the moral law by bringing more love into people's lives. We never know the difference that can make.
I always remember the story I heard about a young man who was thinking about ending his life one night. A friend of his was going to meet some people that night and "by chance" stopped by his house. As they talked together the young man realized he was not alone. He could feel the love coming from his friend. He found the comfort and strength to embrace life.
We are called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This often means putting others first before our own comfort and needs. It can mean responding to a friend or a stranger in the middle of the night when we get a sudden call or see someone we don't know in need of help.
We ask ourselves in those situations, "What would I want others to do for me?"
Many times we are called to go beyond what is required and to do more for others. We do this when we realize that God has absolutely no requirement to love us. God's Love is a total GIFT for us. There is no way that we can pay God back for that Love.
It is an unpayable debt.
God gives it freely.
He simply asks us to love everyone we encounter each day as we love ourselves.
God challenges us to love others.
God shows us the way!
1. Have you ever felt overwhelmed with your debts?
2. Why is the debt we owe to God unpayable?
3. What are some loving choices that God is calling you to make today?
4. Can you think of a choice you made to love that made a difference in someone else's life?
5. What do you see as you ponder Kathy's photo?
(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John McNamara)
