Tuesday of the
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Kings 19:9b-11.14-21.31-35a.36; Matthew 7:6.12-14)
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, has the intriguing
title of “preacher of the papal household.”
His duties include delivering a weekly sermon during Advent and Lent to
Vatican officials. In one Lenten sermon
Fr. Cantalamessa advised that people not love others like they loves themselves. He reasoned that many people are so
self-indulgent that they do harm by treating them as they treat
themselves. Although the preacher makes
a good point, Jesus’ maxim found in today’s gospel remains valid.
As Jesus indicates, the “Golden Rule” is not his
alone. Different versions of it are
found in the sacred writings of most religions and well as the Hebrew
Scriptures. Since everyone wants to be
cherished, the rule has been rephrased as “Love others as you love
yourself.” Jesus himself makes this
revision in the Gospel of Luke. The
statement takes for granted that we want what is truly good for ourselves --
nothing false, spiteful, or harmful.
A number of years ago there was a controversy about another
rule of thumb involving Jesus. People
wondered if “What would Jesus do?” (“WWJD?” was the popular acronym) is a
sufficient guide for action. Some
thought it impossible to know what Jesus would do. Really? Doesn’t he tell us what he would do when he
says, “’Do to others what you would have them do to you.’”
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