As St. Paul says, ‘They make a god of their bellies.’ People of honor never think of eating except when they sit down at the table.
St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life 3.39.7

I'm so behind on my journey to sainthood!

and taking delight in recalling the sensual satisfaction had in swallowing those bits of food. Men who have their minds fixed before dinner on the oven and after dinner on the dishes served do this and such men are fit to be scullions in the kitchen.

" . . . and for that reason they have not the heart to offend men whose lives of shame and crime they detest."

City of God I.9

" . . . wives with husbands and husbands with wives, children with parents or parents with children, servants with masters and masters with servants. Such men are eager to acquire so many of this world’s temporal goods, and grieve to lose them, . . ."

Reflections on Camus' The Plague bit.ly/45I6KLg
#AlbertCamus #ThePlague #faithandreason

The Christian, though, is commanded to sacrifice to this extent for a Christian brother or sister.

onoekeh.com/home/what-ex...
12/12

Now the love-one-another test, "Mr. Samaritan, a man is going to be beaten to within an inch of his life. Would you take his place and be the victim?" Yes, the Samaritan might do this, but by the Law, he is not required to.
11/12

Let's say we asked the Samaritan before his trip, "If you come across a man beaten and half-dead on the dangerous road to Jericho, would you stop to help him, even at great risk to yourself?" The Samaritan's answer would be yes. He passes the love your neighbor test.
10/12

Jesus is not speaking about love of neighbor, but love of Christian family--"Love one another." So if we project "love one another" into the Good Samaritan story, what else would the Samaritan have done to meet the threshold of this new commandment?
9/12

The Samaritan risks his own life by stopping to help the victim. That act seems self-sacrificial.

Back to the question of what is new about Jesus' commandment. The command to love each other goes beyond love of neighbor, so admirably displayed by the Good Samaritan.
8/12

Maybe one might say that self-sacrifice is the distinctively Christian element and thus new. I agree with this, although it's not clear how this is not present as such in the Good Samaritan story.
7/12

He even promises an innkeeper that he will return and settle up any further debts incurred by the recovering victim. Jesus then says to go and do likewise.

This kind of love seems pretty comprehensive. Why is this not enough? Why do we need a new commandment of love?
6/12

At separate times, a priest and a Levite walk by but do not help the man. Then a Samaritan, who is a cultural enemy of the Jews, sees the man, has compassion, risks his life, and saves the man.
5/12

Jesus in the Luke verses summarizes the Mosaic law as essentially love of God and love of neighbor. He then gives the Good Samaritan story (Lk 10:25-37). In that story, a man is robbed on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. He is beaten and left to die.
4/12

Compare with Luke 10:27
"He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”"
3/12

Here's the text in John 13:34-35
" A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
2/12