"it is out of love that we pursue justice"

The Pilgrims

There is an old story about two pilgrims traveling to a monastery high up in the mountains of Tibet. A storm was approaching and they made their way as quickly as possible along the narrow and treacherous paths.

While negotiating one such path they heard a voice calling out for help. Another pilgrim had slipped from the trail and fallen into a deep chasm. The first pilgrim stopped and peered into the darkness. He couldn't see the trapped man but he could hear him calling out in desperation.

“We should help him,” said the first pilgrim.

“No,” said the second, “if we stop we will be trapped by the storm and we will all die.”

The second pilgrim continued on his way while the first remained on the edge of the trail looking down into the darkness of the chasm. Quickly he resolved to help the trapped pilgrim. He secured a rope to a rock and lowered himself down. The fallen pilgrim suffered a broken leg and it took much time and effort to get him onto the trail.

By then the storm had arrived in full force. Bitter wind was driving freezing snow into snowdrifts all around them. They could barely see a few feet in front of them. The first pilgrim supported the injured man as best he could and they continued on their way to the monastery.

After what seemed like hours they finally saw the lights ahead of them promising refuge. As they hobbled toward the gates they passed the body of the second pilgrim, frozen just a few yards from safety. He had tripped and been knocked unconscious. Without the companionship and help of the first pilgrim, he froze to death.

Love and Justice

What does it mean to love our neighbor as ourselves?

Paul’s comments on love are given in the context of justice. His words preceding today’s readings tell us “Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Romans 13:7).

This differs from the old covenant wherein the Law was the means of justice.

Jesus makes all things new and Paul tells us “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). Thus it is out of love that we pursue justice. Love for God and love for neighbor.

This love is not optional. It is not like romantic love or brotherly love, which allows us to choose those on whom we bestow it. This is the self-sacrificing love of God for man. This type of love we are obligated to reciprocate and practice among one another. It is this “agape” love that motivates us to seek out those who have taken themselves out of communion with God and His church and try to win them back.

The Four Loves

C.S. Lewis described the different types of love we experience in his book, “The Four Loves.”

The first is “storge.” Storge is the natural familial love and affection we feel towards others, such as family members.

The Second is “Philia.” Philia is the love between friends. Not simply affection, it is a deep abiding love that makes a brother or sister out of a stranger.

Next is “Eros.” Eros is romantic love, the feeling of loving someone or being in love with them.

Finally there is “Agape.” Lewis considered agape love the greatest of the four. It is a self sacrificing “God” love that is given freely and asks for nothing in return. To truly experience this type of love we must subordinate the other three loves to the love of God.

“The Four Loves” was written after Lewis' novel “Till We Have Faces,” which dramatizes the four loves in a retelling of the myth of Psyche and Eros. Throughout the book different characters display these four types of love but it is Psyche who demonstrates agape love.

(The book was published in 1956 but if you need a spoiler alert, consider your self alerted)

In Lewis' version Psyche is chosen to be sacrificed to the mysterious “God of the Mountain” to save the people from various plagues that are afflicting the kingdom. Psyche gives no thought to herself or the sacrifice of giving up any dream of family and children. Instead she is eager to “wed” the unseen God in order to save the people.

Psyche begs her older sister, Orual, to forgive and pity the one who betrayed Psyche, “for she also does what she doesn't know.”

(End spoiler alert.)

This is the self sacrificing love of Christ on the cross. This is the love that all Christians are called to. We die to ourselves for the sake of the “other.”

Our contemporary society seems to be built around our individual wants. “What we want” is all too often the driving force in our lives. But for the Christian, “what we want,” is irrelevant. What matters is how we can serve each other in this agape love.

If we truly practice this love and hold it within our hearts then how can we not reach out to minister to our brothers and sisters, especially those who have removed themselves from our communion? We are in fact expected to do so.

Justice then, is our moral imperative; it is our goal. Love is the means by which we achieve it.

Pax Vobiscum
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com

Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary visions of sacred art. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Purchase fine art prints of Deacon Lawrence’s work here.