Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR A
THIRTIETH SUNDAY - 23.10.05
Ex 22,20-26; 1 Thess 1,5-10; Mt 22,34-40
Is God “first” in our life?
Love
God. Last
week, we reflected on Jesus’ order: “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s &
to God what is God’s”. Today,
we get an even taller order: in life, let God -always- be “first &
foremost”. Both commands address
the tug-of-war we have when try to work out how civil or religious authority
(Church & State) operate; & how we deal with each other. Luther saw
Church & State as 2 ‘kingdoms’: in the first, the civil authority rules
public & secular life by the ‘sword’
of a government, which is based on reason, law & history - & is devoted
to justice & preservation of peace. In the second, the religious authority
deals with the private & spiritual life of people, who are formed by the‘word’
& are devoted to grace & mercy. Sadly however, when it comes to our
relationship with God & with one another, things have never been, &
never will be, easy. Luther himself advised the German Princes “to smite, slay
& stab all poisonous & devilish rebels”... The conviction that God
must be ‘first & above all’ in life is fundamental in grasping the
mind-set of the Bible & of all ‘religious minded persons’. Today’s
Gospel -as indeed the Old Testament from which Jesus took his quote- makes it
clear that, there can be neither freedom nor peace among us, unless we choose to
take-in God’s covenant of love, & submit to his law (10 commandments). The
whole Book of Exodus teaches that the people of Israel did not become free, as
they broke the chains of slavery & walked out of Egypt. If that were the
case, sooner or later they would fall slaves of some other power. It was when
they came to Mount Sinai, submitted to God & accepted the 10 commandments,
only then they became truly free, i.e. slaves of no one but God alone. The same
is true of every Christian
Love
neighbour
The Great Commandment to love God above all, stems from a deep conviction
& realization that only in God, can our human love survive. It sums up the
teaching of both Law (Torah) & Prophets; it summarizes also the two halves
of the 10 commandments & of the “Our Father”. Only when we choose to
love God “with all our heart, all our soul & all our mind”, only then
“loving your neighbour as yourself’” makes sense, & it means: love
your neighbour because “he is as you” = he is as vulnerable & human as
you are; he is also equal to you in dignity. When our love of God is
truly “first & uppermost”, we learn to accept & love one
another & to see God in our neighbour. The primacy of God’s love is one of
the most inspiring messages of the Bible. Teaching about love of God &
neighbour, Jesus does not go into the specific applications & complications
of the elusive emotion of human love, nor does he suggest that the great
commandment invalidates lesser commandments. In fact, Jesus takes the
commandment to love God from a famous Jewish Declaration of faith, known as Shema
in the Book of Deut.6,4: “Hear o Israel, the Lord our God is one. You must
love him with all your heart” For centuries & even today, Jewish people
write-out this text & place it in small boxes called mezuzah. They place the boxes on the door posts of their homes,
& each time a person (neighbour) passes through the doorway, they touch the
“mezuzah”, thus repeating this declaration of faith several times a day. The
words “with all your heart, all your soul & all your mind” express the
totality of the response to God which Jesus calls for. Only in that totality
finds meaning our fragile love for each other & for our neighbours, who -in
Christ- are our brothers & sisters: only in God, our love for each other
survives. If not held by our love for God, our poor emotional love for each other clashes
& perishes.
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