Reflection for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

WE LOVE GOD IN OUR NEIGHBOURS

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings:  Exodus 22:20-26. 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Matthew 22:34-40

The gospel reading of this 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) is about the greatest commandment in the Law. The Pharisees and Sadducees are the teachers of the Law. So, it is presumed that they already know all about the Law. But in this passage, St. Matthew tells us that they came together and in order to put Jesus to the test, asked him about the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus answered that the first greatest commandment is that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul. The second which follows from the first is that, we should love our neighbors as ourselves. What this means is that love of God and love of neighbor are intrinsically linked. Our love of God is expressed in our love of other people and one cannot exist apart from the other (Read 1 John 4:20-21).

To love God with all our hearts, mind and soul as the first commandment states is to love God whole-heartedly. In other words, to love God above all else. To be sure, we have to ask ourselves these sets of questions: Is there anything or anybody that is coming between us and our love of God? Is there any circumstance that is making us love God less? Is there anything or anybody that we love more than God- money, persons or worldly pleasures?

Furthermore, quoting Leviticus 19:19, Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. The main reason why we have to love our neighbors as ourselves is because our neighbors too bear the image of God. In loving our neighbors, we love God and vice versa. Our love of God that we do not see is made visibly manifest in the way we love and treat our neighbors that we relate with physically. If we love others better, we will love God more and if we love God most, we will love others best.

Prayer: Lord God, you are love itself and you have created all of us in your loving image. Make our love for you whole and true and help us to love you through our unconditional love towards our neighbors. Amen.