Homily for 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
2014
Exodus 22:20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-30
Introduction
A story is told of a gentile (a non-Jew),
who wanted to convert to Judaism. But
because he was not staying long in Jerusalem, he wanted a Rabbi to expound for
him the contents of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) within the
length of time a person can stand on one foot.
So he went up to Rabbi Shammai, who was
famous for his strict interpretation of the Law. The Rabbi went over the Torah, its laws and
those that Jewish interpretation had since then added - all declared to be
equally obligatory and necessary for salvation.
At last he had to admit that this was an impossible task.
The gentile then went to Rabbi Hillel, who
did not find the least difficulty with the request and without beating about
the bush, answered, "Whatever is
hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man.
This is the whole law: all the rest is commentary. Now go and study."
Scripture and Theology
It is no wonder then that Jesus, in today’s
gospel, teaches that “The whole law and
the prophets depend on these two commandments:” love of God and love of
neighbour. Jesus gives this answer to a
lawyer who is testing him by asking: "Teacher,
which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Perhaps the lawyer expected Jesus to pick one
of the Ten Commandments, such as “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” or “Thou
shalt not commit adultery.” And then
lawyer would have showed Jesus how other laws were far superior to the one he
had chosen. But Jesus does not fall into
the trap; instead he uses the occasion to teach a fundamental truth: that
behind all legitimate laws lies the important principle of love of God and love
of neighbour. Like the second Rabbi
taught the gentile man, the whole law, all 613 commandments, was summarized in
the command to do nothing hateful to a neighbour, that is, to love.
Even the Ten Commandments, are nicely
summarized by these two laws of love.
The first three commandments are inspired by love of God, while the last
seven, by love of neighbour.
·
When we keep the three
commandments, we are in fact loving God: by worshipping him alone, by not
profaning his name and by keeping the Lord’s Day holy.
·
When we keep the last seven
commandments, we are in fact loving our neighbour. A person who respects his parents, who does
not kill, who does not commit adultery, who does not steal, who does not give
false witness, who does not desire other people’s property and other people’s
spouses, definitely loves their neighbour.
But Jesus was not the first to make this
connection between law and love. The Old
Testament is full of references to these two laws. Deuteronomy 6:5 teaches about the love of God
while Leviticus 19:18 teaches about the love of neighbour. In fact devout Jews recited the commandment
about loving God at morning and evening prayer each day. And as we heard in the
first reading, loving and caring for one’s neighbour, particularly the widow, orphan
and stranger, were very important requirements of the Jewish daily life.
Jesus, however, for the first time teaches
that while love of God and love of neighbour, are the summary and inspiration
of all laws, the two loves must go together.
Love of God is the greatest of the commandments, but love of neighbour
resembles and flows from love of God.
You cannot say that you love God and you do not love your
neighbour. Nor can you love your
neighbour and say you go do not love God.
Christian Life
For many people today, the words “law” and
“love” are diametrically opposed.
·
Law imposes obligations on me,
while love gives me desire and affection.
·
Law forbids me from doing the things
I want, while with love, there is nothing I cannot do for a love one.
·
Law is a burden, while love is
a pleasure.
Recently I was reproaching a student about
some misconduct. In response he told me
that rather than enforce the laws of the school, I should be promoting
love. I am sure that you parents here,
when correcting your children have been naughty in some way, have been told:
“Mum, you don’t love me.” And yet, for teachers
and mothers, enforcing the law is love; it is tough love.
·
Perhaps in today’s society we
fail to see the intimate connection between laws and love, because laws are
often presented in the negative. “Thou
shalt not do this or that shalt not have that.”
·
Perhaps we fail to see that
love is the basis for all laws because laws are often enforced with punishment
or the threat of punishment and nobody likes punishment?
It might be easier for us to the connection
between the two, between law and love, if we realize that what God really wants
from us is not just the keeping of laws.
God wants to have a relationship with us, a friendship with each of
us. Laws are just the guidelines or that
relationship, a set of principles that directs our friendship with God. The laws are a set of duties that we taken
upon ourselves when we enter into a love relationship with the Lord.
1.
For example, the first
commandment enjoins us to have no other God but the God of Jesus Christ. Why not?
Because we love God and we must love him above all else. As the young people today say, he must be our
BFF, Best Friend forever. Even in
marriage, you cannot say you really love your spouse, if you have another man
or woman on the side.
2.
From the commandments that
regulate our love for neighbour, the sixth commandment enjoins us not to commit
adultery. Why not? Again if we really love our spouse, he or she
then is the only person with whom to be intimate. We we cannot share that intimacy with
another.
We could go through all the Ten
Commandments, but if we did we would be here until the cows come home, and I
might not be invited again. Let this be
your homework, to reflect on the all the commandments given to us by God and
the Church, and see why there is only one reason to keep them, and that is, because
we love God, and in some of them because we also love our neighbour.
Conclusion
As we
reflect on the commandments, let us remember the passage about love in Paul’s
First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13.
We often hear this passage at weddings, where clearly we are celebrating
the love of two people getting married.
But did not write this letter for married couples, he wrote it for all
Christians, to teach us, like Jesus does, that love is the backbone of
everything that we do. And so let me
give the last word to St. Paul.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but
do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and
comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move
mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I
may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not
jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not
seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over
injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never fails (1 Cor. 13:1-8a).
No comments:
Post a Comment