I AGREE with Fr Kevin Ryan (Real Life, CL 2/7/06) and his focus on single issues.
I also note with concern in the same edition the comments in the letter by J.D. Weir concerning salvation through obedience and his comment that Jesus said we had to obey the scribes and pharisees because they sit on Moses’ seat.
Jesus himself did not follow that comment.
All his curing miracles occurred on a Saturday. He regularly touched women, dead people and lepers and made himself ritually unclean.
St Paul comments in Galatians 5:4 that “Those of you who try to be put right with God by obeying the Law have cut yourself off from Christ. You are outside God’s grace”.
Elsewhere he comments that the Law is death.
I’m sure we could all end up in a Scripture quoting contest if we wanted. The point is the Law must be tempered with love.
“And the second is similar, love your neighbour as yourself. The greatest of these is love.”
I believe we need to look at what we do and how we live to determine if we are showing the very unconditional and controversial love of Jesus.
He loved the prostitutes and the homosexuals, he was a happy and sensual man. “He was like us in all things except sin.”
Being sensual is not sinful, abusing people for their behaviour rather than disapproving of their behaviour is sin.
Making mistakes and doing unsocial things is unsocial but not a sin until we refuse to ask God’s (and our neighbour’s) forgiveness.
An image I have is of God asking Jesus, “Where did they get that idea from? You didn’t say that whilst I wasn’t listening did you?”
Jesus would shake his head and say, “I just don’t know how they missed the point after all that we have done for them”.
DAVID FORMBY
Enoggera, Qld
