30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Matthew 22:34-40
Fernando Armellini SCJ
Claretian Publications, Macau
God, first of all, is to be loved with an undivided heart (with all the heart). Today there are believers, people in the church, who fulfill all religious practices, but at the same time worship their bank account, social position, honorary titles, career, power and their ambitions. They have indeed a “divided heart”, they do not love with all their heart, as Jesus demands.
With all life (soul). The believer is required to have the willingness to sacrifice everything (money, interest, emotional ties and rights), and even the courage to face martyrdom, while not failing in his/her faith. Loving God, trusting him can lead to — and it happens often — the need of making choices and heroic sacrifices.
With all your mind. Even the rational aspect is part of the love of God. Emotions cannot be the object of a commandment. However, anyone interested in futility, who spends more time with frivolous arguments, who gossips about celebrities rather than studying the word of God, who ignores the theological and moral issues today, who does not undertake to investigate the reasons of his/her faith, is less involved in the love of God. After having stated what is the greatest commandment, Jesus adds that this is also the first. He makes this specification to introduce the second, which is like the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 39), and here the more apparent novelties begin.
The concluding statement: “The whole Law and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments” They should be taken as criteria for evaluating every precept. All laws are good if they are an expression of love. They should be rejected if they oppose it, because they are a hindrance to the good of the people.
Later, Paul and subsequent New Testament authors would reduce the two into one Law, love of people. “For the whole law—Paul reminds us—is summed up in this sentence: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal 5:14). Love cannot do the neighbor any harm; so love, fulfills the whole Law” (Rom 13:8-10).
We know what it means to love others, even though it is not always easy to determine how this love can be made concrete. But how do we love God? The God of Jesus has never asked for anything for himself. He puts himself at the service of man, even to bending down to wash his feet and asks us to do the same: “If such has been the love of God—John says—we too must love one another” (1 Jn 4:11). For love for people is still love turned to God, because it is directed to His image (Gen 1:27).
Translated by Fr. John Ledesma SDB
Abridged by Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF
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