“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Sunday, 29th October 2017.
Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Ex 22:20-26;
Ps 17:2-4, 47, 51;
1Thes 1:5-10;
Mt 22:34-40
LOVE: THE MARK OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP!
The readings of today invite us to reflect on the fundamental principle on which the life of every disciple of Christ is founded: love of God and love of neighbor. Sometimes we can be lost in false ideas and notions of love of God and love of neighbor. Therefore, it is worth reflecting on this theme time to time. A teacher of the law asks Jesus a question in view of trapping him: “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” It’s clear, from the context of this passage that the relationship between Jesus and the religious leaders of His time was beginning to become contentious. They were beginning to test Him and were even trying to trap Him. However, Jesus continued to silence them with His words of wisdom.
Jesus answers the teacher: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37-39). Jesus thus, gives a complete summary of the moral law found in the Ten Commandments. The first three Commandments reveal that we must love God above all and with all our might. The last six Commandments reveal that we must love our neighbor. The moral law of God is as simple as fulfilling these two more general commandments.
A follower of Jesus has to follow the commandment of love. This commandment has two aspects - love of God and love of neighbor, which becomes the mark of a disciple. What does it mean to love God and to love neighbor? First and foremost, love of God is to experience God’s love for us. We are weak and vulnerable; we cannot love God as we should. But in Jesus we can experience that God loves us. Therefore, experiencing the love of God, in spite of one’s lowliness will make one to love God in return. This is the beginning of loving God. When a child experiences the love of the mother, it will never do anything against the mother. This is the meaning of loving God. When we experience God’s love we will not do anything against God, we will not fall into sin, rather we will do all that pleases him. It pleases God when we love one another. While loving God, one begins to love one another.
The first reading of today taken from the book of Exodus explains the command of God to the people of Israel: love of neighbor. In what way can my love towards my neighbor become perfect? When we love our neighbors we desire that they always be partakers in God’s eternal life. We wish and pray for them that they may live all the days of their life in grace. Thus they become the partakers of eternal life given to us gratuitously by Jesus. When we love our neighbor in this manner we do not undermine their physical and other needs. We remember what Jesus said ‘what you do to the least of the brethren, you do it unto him.’ We reach out to people who are in need in the ways possible to us. This is our love for our neighbor.
St. Paul in his first letter to Thessalonians in today’s second reading reminds them the purpose of their conversion to the Christian faith, which is to serve God and to serve his only Son Jesus who has revealed to us the Father and the Spirit.
Reflect, today, upon the simple call to love God and your neighbor with that you are. Reflect, especially, upon that word “all.” As you do, you will most certainly become aware of ways in which you fail to give everything. As you see your failure, recommit in hope to the glorious path of making a total gift of yourself to God and others.
Prayer: Lord, I choose to love You with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength. I also choose to love all people as You love them. Give me the grace to live these two commandments of love and to see them as the path to holiness of life. I do love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.