Today’s Gospel shows Jesus speaking an unpalatable truth to His listeners. Just like Jeremiah in the first reading, who had to tell people that they faced disaster, Jesus has to tell truths that no one wants to hear. At first, when He sticks to the text, and says nothing too challenging, they are happy to listen. But when He says that God’s love is never exclusive, that others outside the small group saw themselves as chosen could also be loved by God, they become enraged. Jesus has not told them that they are not loved by God; He has told them that they are not the only ones that God loves. This makes them angry; they cannot bear to hear the truth. The truth, as St. Paul reminds us today, must be spoken with love, since without love even the gift of prophecy is empty.
We are faced with many options masquerading as truth – that to be famous is good in itself, that to be rich is good in itself, that wealth, status and power are all good. “Loveâ€, St. Paul says, “is always ready…to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.â€