Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

REFLECTION:

With everything going on in the world, there’s a lot of talk about finances, benefits, tariffs, money owed to this person or that country, even about reparations. Everywhere we look, people are debating what they owe or what others owe them. But what if the world measured everything not by money or possessions, but by love? I once watched a movie where people had a time stamp on their wrist, and they paid for things with time. The more time you had, the wealthier you were; you could even transfer time to another person. Imagine if that were true of love—that we each had a “love stamp” on our wrist showing how much love we’ve given, received, or still owe. Would ours show abundance—or a deficit? That would be interesting.

In Romans 13, Paul tells us, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” He isn’t warning against loans or credit cards, but teaching that while we can one day pay off our financial debts, the debt of love can never be fully repaid. Love is the one thing we owe every person we meet, always and without limit, because it is the very thing God continually gives to us. This love is not mere affection or emotion—it is a deliberate choice to seek the good of another, to do no harm, and to fulfill God’s law in every action. Every commandment—do not steal, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not covet—comes down to this simple truth: love rightly.

If love were a form of currency, the wealthiest among us would not be those with the most possessions, but those who have given the most of themselves. Jesus, who owned nothing, was rich in love. On the Cross, He paid the ultimate price—not in gold or silver, but with His very life. In that sense, He canceled all debts by revealing that love is the true measure of worth. When we give love freely—when we forgive, serve, and show compassion—we invest in something that never loses value. The more we give, the richer our hearts become.

As followers of Christ, we are called to live as people constantly aware of our debt of love. Each day we might ask ourselves: Who do I still owe love to today? Maybe it’s someone we’ve ignored, someone we’ve judged, or even ourselves, who need to be reminded of God’s unconditional love. We are invited to keep paying this debt—not out of guilt, but out of gratitude to the One who first loved us. If love were truly the measure of our world, how different our homes, schools, and communities would look. The balance sheet of heaven isn’t measured in dollars, but in love given, love received, and love shared. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10)