3rd week in Lent, Thursday – 24th March 2022 — Gospel: Lk 11,14-23
Gatherers are Lovers
Jesus doesn’t leave his followers on neutral ground: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters” (Lk 11,23). The principle illustrated is the impossibility of a state of neutrality in serving Christ, that is, neutrality here is opposition. The allusion may mean either to gather the sheep into the fold, and to scatter them by the wolf; or to gather the wheat, and bind it in sheaves, and bring it home into harvest; and to scatter of the wheat lose in the field, whereby it is lost, and comes to nothing. As followers of Jesus, we need to long to be gatherers, not scatterers. Gatherers are lovers. They embody the two greatest commandments: Love God and love one another. As gatherers, we love the Lord so much that we want to extend his Kingdom on earth to the best of our ability, according to our unique mission.
