“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all
your heart, with all your being, with all your strength and with all your mind,
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18)
So easily does the young legal
scholar answer Jesus with what is written in the Law. He is recalling two parts of the Torah, the
Old Testament.
The first: Love of God is from Deuteronomy and the second: Love of Neighbor is found in Leviticus. Both
these passages were very familiar to the Jews, especially the religious
scholars and leaders of the time. In
fact, the first part on loving God is recited by Jews in their daily prayer
known as the Schema, which begins:
“Hear, O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the
Lord is One You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today
shall be (written) upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your
children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you
walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise”
The words from Leviticus, “Love your neighbor as yourself” has
been called “the greatest principle of Judaism” and forms what is commonly known
across most civilizations as the “Golden Rule.”
Both of these passages were deeply-rooted
in the daily life and culture of the time, - as they should be today. In the First Reading we saw that the laws of
God were easily accessible and commonly known– these commandments of God were
not things out of reach of the people.
They were - and still are - not impossible to know, understand or obey.
When Jesus summed up all the Law
and the Prophets with the Two Greatest Commandments:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most
important commandment. The second most important
commandment is, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’
He was only repeating what was
already known and understood among the people - and all of which continues to
be foundational and true today, though they seem to have taken a back seat to
popular culture and secularism.
Most of us are familiar with the parable
of the Good Samaritan. Here is a story
the exemplifies God’s abundant love, God’s compassion, God’s mercy, God’s endless,
infinite and everlasting desire to care for us, his creation, his people, his
beloved children.
While the legal scholar was trying
to trap Jesus into a narrow definition of “Who
is our neighbor?”, so he could justify setting limitations to his actions,
like the priest and the Levite in the story, Jesus’ response, with the story of
the Good Samaritan, reflects God’s love for all his children. Like God’s endless, infinite and everlasting love
– our neighbor is all His people, His beloved children – all our brothers and
sister in the world.
As Christians, followers of Jesus
Christ,
·
when we see suffering in the world,
·
when we hear our neighbors are oppressed,
·
denied their humanity, starved, homeless,
·
cast aside - uncared for and unloved -
Our response is exemplified in this
quote of Louis Pasteur,
“One does not ask one who suffers: ‘What is
your country?’ and ‘What is your religion?’
One merely says, ‘You suffer, that is enough for me’.”
- · This is the Good Samaritan’s response to suffering.
- · This is Jesus’ response to suffering.
- · This is God’s love.
God does not ask us to make sacrifices
in our love for one another, but to give as freely as we receive. We are not to count the cost in coming to the
aid of our neighbor, especially those who suffer the most, but to do so with – the
same love, - the same care - and the same compassion we receive from our
heavenly Father. For He has made the
sacrifice of love for all time: Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ death on the cross freed us
forever from the bonds of sin and division.
In His sacrifice - we are united – we are members of one family, - we
are all brothers and sisters - with one Father, -
- · who loves us without limitation, -
- · without hesitation, -
- · without misgivings, -
- · without condition.
He is a Father who asks us to love
one another as He loves us, completely and forever.
In our love of God and in His
command to His children to love one another as we are loved: Jesus has inscribed
on our hearts forever - the answer to the scholar’s two questions: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
and “Who is my neighbor?” ~ Amen
Peace,
Deacon Don Ron
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