Christian Love
THE BOOK OF HOMILIES: SUMMER SERMON SERIES
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Of all the things that are good to be taught to Christian people, there is nothing more necessary to be spoken about and daily recalled than charity. All kinds of works of righteousness are contained within it, just as the decay of it is the ruin of the world, the banishment of virtue, and the cause of all vice. Almost everyone thinks of themselves as loving in their own way, and however detestable their life may be to both God and people, they persuade themselves that they have such love. Therefore, you shall hear now a true and plain description of love not out of human imagination but from the very words and example of our Jesus Christ. In this description, everyone may consider themselves as in a mirror and see plainly (without error) whether they are truly loving or not.
Whole-Hearted Love.
Love means to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our powers and strength. With all our hearts, that is to say, that our hearts and minds are set to believe his word to trust in him, and to love him above all other things that we love best in heaven or in the earth. With all our life, that is to say, that our chief joy and delight is set on him and his honor, and our whole life is given to the service of God above all things with him to live and die and to forsake all other things rather than him.
For the one who loves their father or mother, son or daughter house or land more than me says Christ is not worthy to have me. With all our power (that is to say) that our hands and feet are eyes and ears, our mouths, and tongues and all our parts and powers, both of body and of the soul, should be given to the keeping and fulfilling of his commandments.
This is the first and principal part of love, but it is not the whole: for charity is also to love everyone, good and evil friend and foe and whatever causes given to the contrary nevertheless to bear goodwill to everyone. Love is to behave ourselves well towards others in words as well as in all our deeds. For this is what Christ himself taught and also how he himself lived. Concerning love for God, Jesus taught thus to a doctor of the law who asked him which was the greatest and chief commandment in the law: "love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the end of the love that we ought to have among ourselves for each other he teaches us this:
"You have heard it taught in the past you shall love your friend and hate your foe, but I tell you love your enemies speak well of those who defame you and speak evil of you. Do well to those who hate you and pray for those who fix and persecute you so that you may be the children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun to rise on both the evil and the good and sends the rain to the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward shall you have? Do not the tax collectors do likewise? And if you speak well only of those who are your brethren and dear beloved friends, are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
These are the very words of our savior Christ himself concerning the love of our neighbor.
Christ's Love for Enemies.
The Pharisees (with their most troublesome traditions and false interpretations and glosses) had corrupted and almost clearly stopped up this pure well of God's living word. They taught that this love and charity applied only to one's friends and that it was sufficient for someone to love those who love them and hate their enemies. Therefore, Christ opened this well again, purged it, and scoured it by giving a true and clear interpretation of his godly law and charity which is this: that we ought to love everyone, both friend and foe, adding to this what benefit we shall have as a result and what disadvantages from doing the contrary. What better thing could we wish for ourselves than for the eternal heavenly Father to adopt and accept us as his children? And this we shall be sure of says Christ if we love every person without exception, and if we do otherwise, he says we are no better than the Pharisees tax collectors and unbelievers and shall have our reward with them that is, to be shut out from the number of God's chosen children, and from his everlasting inheritance in heaven. In this way, Christ taught about true love that everyone is to love God above all things and to love every person, both friend, and foe. And this he himself did: exhorting his adversaries, rebuking the faults of his adversaries, and when he could not amend them, yet he prayed for them.
First, he loved God his Father above all things so much that he sought not his own glory and will but the glory and will of his Father. I do not seek he said my own will but the will of him who sent to me. Nor did he refuse to die to satisfy his Father's will, saying, "if it is possible, let this cup of death be taken from me. But if not, your will be done, and not mine." He loved not only his friends but also his enemies who in their hearts nursed an exceedingly great hatred against him and with their tongues spoke all evil about him. And in their acts and deeds pursued him with all their might and power, even to death. Yet despite all this, he did not withdraw his favor from them but still loved them, preached to them, and rebuked their false doctrine, their wicked living, and did good to them, patiently enduring whatever they spoke or did against him. When they struck him, he did not strike them back, and when he suffered death, he did not slay them nor threatened them but prayed for them and referred all things to his Father's will career as a sheep that has led to the slaughter, and as a lamb that is shorn of his fleece makes no noise or resistance Even, so he went to his death without any resistance or opening his mouth to say any evil.
So, I have described to you what love is both in terms of doctrine and in terms of the example of Christ himself. From this, everyone may, without error, know themselves what state and condition they are in, whether they are loving (and so the child of the Father in heaven) or not. For although almost everyone persuades themselves that they are loving, let them examine no one else but themselves: their own heart, their life, and their behavior, and they shall not be deceived but truly discern and judge whether they are loving or not period for the one who does not follow their own and will, but give themselves earnestly to God to do all his will and commandments—they may be sure that they love God above all things, or else surely he loves them not, whatever they pretend. As Christ said, "if you love me, keep my commandments. For whoever knows my commandments and keeps them, they're the one who loves me." And again, he says, "the one who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will both come to them and dwell with them. But the one who does not love me will not keep my words." In the same way, the one who has a good heart and mind and uses their tongue well and does good deeds to everyone, friend and foe—they may know by this that they have love. And then they are sure that almighty God accepts them as his dearly beloved children. As Saint John says, "this is how we can know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: whoever does not do what is right is not God's child, and neither is anyone who does not love their brother and sister."
The Difficult Aspects of Love.
The perverse nature of mankind corrupted with sin and destitute of gods word and grace thinks it against all reason that someone should love their enemy and in many ways is persuaded against this period against all such reasons we ought to set the teaching as well as the living of our savior Christ who loved us when we were his enemies teaches us to love our enemies. He patiently endured many reproaches for us and suffered beating and most cruel death. Therefore we are not members of him if we will not follow him. Christ, says St Peter, suffered for us, leaving an example that we should follow him. Furthermore, we must consider that to love our friends is no more than thieves, adulterers, murderers, and all wicked people do. Jews, Muslims, nonbelievers, and even all brute beasts love those who are their friends, those from whom they earn their living or get any other benefits. But to love enemies is the proper condition of those who are the children of God, the disciples, and followers of Christ. The disobedient and corrupt nature of people ponders deeply and repeatedly the offense and displeasure done to them by their enemies and thinks it an intolerable burden to be bound to love those who hate them. But the burden should be easy enough if, on the other side, everyone would consider what displeasure they have done to their enemy in return and what pleasure they have received from this. And if we find no equal or fair compensation either in receiving such pleasure or in giving displeasure to them in return, then let us ponder the displeasures which we have given to almighty God how often and how grievously we have offended him.
Love Cherishes and Corrects.
One role of love is to cherish good and innocent people, not to oppress them with false accusations but to encourage them with rewards to do well and to continue in well doing, defending them with the sword from their adversaries. Just as the office of bishops and pastors is to praise God's people for doing good that they may continue to do so and to rebuke and correct by the word of God the offenses and crimes of all those who are disposed to do evil. The other role of love is to rebuke, correct and punish vice without regard for people's position or status and is only to be used against those who are evil and criminals or evildoers; it is as much the role of love to rebuke, punish and correct those who are evil as it is to cherish and reward those who are good and innocent. Saint Paul declares to the Romans that the governing authorities are ordained by God not to be a terror to those who do right but to those who do wrong to draw the sword or take vengeance against the one who commits the sin. And Saint Paul bids Timothy strongly and earnestly to rebuke sin by the word of God. Both officers should be diligently executed to fight against the Kingdom of the devil: the preacher with the word and the governors with the sword. Otherwise, they neither love God nor those whom they govern if, for lack of correction, they willfully suffer God to be offended and those whom they govern to perish.
Every loving Father corrects his natural son when he does something wrong or else he does not love him. in the same way, all governors of realms, countries, towns, and houses should lovingly correct those under their governance who are offenders and cherish those who live innocently—if they have any respect to God and their office or love for those they govern. Such rebukes and punishments of those who offend must be done in reasonable time; otherwise, the offenders fall headlong into all kinds of mischief and are not only evil themselves but also do harm to many others drawing them by their evil example to sin and outrage after them. One thief may rob many people and also make many thieves. One seditious person may allure many and annoy a whole town or country. And love requires such evil people who are great offenders against God and the Commonwealth to be cut from the body of the Commonwealth lest they corrupt other good and honest persons like a good surgeon cuts away a rotten and festering limb because of the love they have for the whole body lest it infects other limbs adjoining it.
Thus, it is declared to you what true charity or Christian love is—so plainly that no one should be deceived. Whoever keeps this love not only towards God whom they are bound to love above all things but also towards their neighbor friend as well as for—it shall surely keep them from all offending of God and people. Therefore, note well this one short lesson: that by true Christian love, God ought to be loved above all, and all people ought to be loved too—good and evil, friend and foe. And we ought to do good to all as we can. Those who are good we ought to love to encourage and to cherish because they are good, and those who are evil we ought to have love to procure and seek their correction and do punishment so that they may buy this either be brought to goodness or at least that God in the Commonwealth may be less hurt and offended.
If we thus direct our life by Christian love and charity, then Christ promises and assures us that he loves us, that we are the children of our heavenly Father reconciled to his favor very members of Christ, and that after the short time of this present and mortal life we shall have with him everlasting life in his everlasting Kingdom of heaven. Therefore, to him with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honoring glory now and forever. Amen+
