Thirtieth Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A Ex. 22: 20-26; Psalm 17:2-4, 47, 51; 1 Thess. 1:5-10; Mt. 22:34-40 Theme: The Two Inseparable Commandments If the demands of charity toward the neighbor are to be understood in a Christian setting, then they must be placed in the whole context of Love. This Love is not to be compared, in the first place, with either conjugal, maternal, or paternal Love but to that Love that is known as the Love of the Covenant. So this is the Love Israel loved God by the observance of the commandment, by following a pattern of life that had been laid down by God. Jesus today did not reduce the commandment and precepts of God. But when asked, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus’ response to Love God and the neighbor as ourselves indicates the importance of the command of Love for me, for my neighbor, and for God. The Decalogue must be interpreted in the light of the Love of God and Love of neighbor. Though the Love of God and Love of neighbor appears to be two commandments, they are a single commandment of Love, the fullness of Law. Vice versa, we cannot love God without loving our neighbor. God is Love (1 Jn. 4: 8). There is no love, which is not a participation in God’s Love. Those who say, I love God and had their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also (1 Jn. 4: 20-21). Love of God and Love of neighbor are commandments because we are not speaking of a love that speaks to our feelings. We are speaking of a love that often entails sacrifice, of the command of the will. Of course, no one is forced to love God and his/her neighbor. We are speaking of a love whose model is Jesus Christ. We are speaking of universal Love. All men are God’s children. Charity or Love finds its verification in other virtues, especially justice. Any appeal to charity used as a pretext for evading fulfillment of one’s duties, and respect for the rights of others, is nothing more than sophistry. We must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. A psychologist once asked a group of college students to jot down in thirty seconds the initials of the people they disliked. Some people put down one; others put down two; some others as many as twenty. But the interesting thing is that people who dislike the largest number were themselves the most widely disliked by others. When we find ourselves continually disliking other people, we ought to ask ourselves: What is wrong with us? We must conquer dislikes! Our Gospel celebrates the great commandment of love. To love our neighbor as God does, prejudices based on race, religion, or color have to go. The revelation at Mount Sinai prompted a sense of fairness towards others, deeper than specific commandments. Jesus demonstrates a life of utterly unselfish loving and invites us to make that our guide to life. For St Paul, this imitation of Christ is the core of spirituality. Love is God’s Law without legalism. It transforms pagans into believers who have faith that works. It is moved by a charity that labors. It is sustained in the heart of people by a hope that endures. It is the radiance of a church that welcomes the word of God. It is the Love that does not take advantage of others. To mistreat, intimidate, or oppress other people, especially the poor and defenseless among us, is an insult to God. By this act, we behave as if God does not exist; we render God evil for good. God has acted toward us with Love. Let us act toward other people with Love. Let us not forget that the defenseless have God himself for defender and advocate. May Your Love be upon us, O Lord, as we place our trust in You. Fr. Deniskingsley Nwagwu, SDV.