30 December 2013 - promise not compromise

30 December 2013 - promise not compromise

Do not love the world or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

But wait, didn't "God so love the world that he gave his only Son"?  Indeed.  The word is being used in two senses.  The creation is "good" and mankind is "very good".  This is the world for which the Father sends his Son.  All creation waits in hope for the time when it "will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."  It is not just OK to love created things in due proportion.  It is sinful not to do so since they are made by God.

What, then, is the world which we may not love?  What is the love that competes with and chokes out our love for God?  The world in this context is "sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life".  These things are not from the Father.  They are not even things, strictly speaking.  They are disordered ways of relating to creation that make more out of it than it is meant to be.  They are ways of seeking ultimate fulfillment in the here and now, fulfillment which can only come from God.  This is the pretentious or prideful life which we imagine ourselves to rule over rather than God.
Before John even warns us about these potential pitfalls he reveals the secret whereby we can resist them.  He does this by reminding us who we are.  We are already forgiven and know the Father.    We have already conquered the evil one.  These things have already begun for us and remain true in us.  We are strong in these truths because "the word of God remains" in us.  Let us dwell in his word so that we do not forget who we are in him.  As long as his word remains in us we remain in his victory. 

The prophetess Anna in today's gospel is an example of someone who does not compromise with the love of the world.  She knows who she is in God.  The love of the Father is in her and so she worships "night and day".  With her "fasting and prayer" she makes it clear that God is central to her life.  It is for this reason that she is able to recognize Jesus when he comes into her life.

And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

God proves that he loves the world by becoming part of it for our sakes.  Let us not choose the gift of creation over the giver.  Let us chose the King and his kingdom first so that all else may be added unto us as well.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.