Words are cheap. People can say many things, but they may not necessarily mean what they say. For example, we hear of all sorts of promises being made by certain leaders before an election, but once the leader has won the election, would he or she be committed in fulfilling the promises made? Some may try to do so to the best of their abilities, but as we have seen, there are those who only know how to talk, but do nothing in the end. In Bahasa Malaysia, we call such people “cakap tak serupa bikin” or “saying is not the same as doing.”
What about us Christians? We are taught to love God and love neighbour. But do we love God and love neighbour only in words and nothing more? Hopefully we as Christians would say that we love God and love neighbour not only in words, but especially in our actions, in our conduct and in our behaviour. If we love someone, especially if that someone is our girlfriend or boyfriend, we would try to see the person as often as possible, and we would also try to be with that person as much as possible. We call this “dating” (or as some may say, earning a “degree in ‘paktorlogy’) and some may make much effort in “dating” for some time, so that both would get to know each other pretty well, before deciding to get married or tie the knot, so to speak. But it is interesting to note that, when it comes to loving God, how many of us are making effort to go to church to spend time with Him? When we dislike a person, we would find ways and means to avoid or shun the person. But if some of us have been making all sorts of excuses or come to church only as and when it is convenient to us, doesn’t that mean we dislike God? Surely if we say we love God, then we should be trying to meet Him as much as possible.
If we say we love God, then how do we show it? Scripture reminds us that we must love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our being. This means that we must serve Him and only Him alone, and we must not have any other gods before Him. All this sounds nice and good when times are great, but when we are facing problems, difficulties, persecution or when times are bad, do we turn to God for help, or have some of us gone to bomohs, witch doctors, shamans, temple mediums and other forms of help? If we say that we love God, but we go to other forms of help when we are in need or in trouble and God does not seem to be responding to our pleas for help, then we are lying. We are prostituting ourselves to other forms, we are committing adultery, because the fact is, we do not really love God after all. St. Paul in the second reading gives us an example of a married couple to illustrate the relationship between God and us. If we pray to other gods; if we turn to other gods or other forms of help; then we will be committing adultery against God like how some of us commit adultery against our spouse when we are unfaithful to them.
This is why we need to make a firm commitment to love God above all else. We need to maintain fidelity and remain faithful to God regardless whether times are good or bad. In today’s gospel, many of Jesus’ followers left Him because they could not accept His teaching. If we say that we love God, then we must accept His teachings. We cannot choose to believe what suit us or make us feel comfortable. We must take God as He is and not according to our own terms. We must choose God over and above all other gods, whether it be money, wealth, fame, power, or other deities. This relationship we have with God must also be reflected in our families and community. Do we show our love to our husband or wife and family members in the way that we show our love to God? Do we show love for our children the same way God loves us? If we are not truly loving God and loving others the way God loves us, then what sort of a Christian life are we living? Are we not being hypocrites, “cakap tak serupa bikin,” only know how to say and not doing what we say?
Today, let us pray that God will strengthen our faith in Him and also strengthen our relationship with one another especially in the family and in the community. Let us not only pray, but also take action, do our part, and be truly loving and forgiving towards others. May we mean what we say, and say what we mean, and do all we can to show our love for God and for others.