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“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the
first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37–39
We are very familiar with this passage above. It is Jesus’ answer
to the Pharisees who came to test Jesus. Prior to this, a group of
Sadducees tried to trap Jesus and failed. So now it was the
Pharisees who gave it their best shot to trap our Lord. Of course,
Jesus’ answer was perfect. And upon the conclusion of this answer,
Jesus returned the favor by asking the Pharisees some questions
that they could not answer, and they dared not ask Him any further
questions at that time.
Sometimes, being challenged by another in matters of faith helps
us, in that it allows us to clarify what we actually believe.
Though Jesus did not need clarity for His own sake, He did offer
this clarity in the face of trickery so as to help both the
Pharisees as well as His followers who were listening
attentively.
Have you ever been challenged by another about matters of faith? If
so, what was your response? Were you able to respond by the
inspiration and clarity given by the Holy Spirit? Or did you walk
away confused and unable to respond? Having our faith challenged by
another will either result in our own confusion or in our deeper
understanding.
By answering this question in the way that Jesus did, He presented
the entire Law given by Moses in the Ten Commandments in a new and
summarized way. The first three of the Ten Commandments have to do
with love of God, and the last seven have to do with love of
neighbor. The second commandment Jesus gives, “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself,” is a consequence of the first commandment.
How do you “love yourself?” You do so by fulfilling the first
commandment Jesus gave: “love the Lord, your God, with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” When God is
loved above all, then loving your neighbor simply means that you
love God Who dwells within your neighbor in accord with the way God
loves them.
It is also helpful to note that it is possible to “love” our
neighbor in such a way that is contrary to the love of God. For
example, if our love of neighbor is expressed in such a way that is
contrary to the Love of God, then this is not true love. Let’s say
that your neighbor has chosen a gravely immoral lifestyle. How do
you love them with the love of God? You don’t say to them “I
support you in your immoral living.” Doing so is not love of God;
it’s a selfish form of love that cares more about how the person
will respond back to you than caring for their eternal soul. The
right form of love for one who has gone astray in an objectively
immoral way is to let them know you love them but do not support
the choices they are making. And though they may respond negatively
to this, caring for their eternal salvation must supersede every
desire to simply get along with them.
Love of neighbor, at times, especially when the “neighbor” is a
family member who has turned from God, can be challenging. But when
it is, think about the way that the Sadducees and Pharisees tried
to constantly trap Jesus. He always gave the perfect response of
love and never allowed their misguided conversation to leave
confusion. So with us, we must rely upon the wisdom and love of God
when loving another is difficult. God must guide our every
conversation in that case so that the other knows they are loved
and so that our love does not deviate from the pure love of
God.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to love
God above all and to love your neighbor with that same love that
you have for God. If you find loving someone is difficult, pray for
the wisdom you need to remain faithful to them in God’s love alone.
And if you find your love challenged, rely upon our Lord to lead
you and to give you the words you need when you need them the
most.
My loving Lord, You love all people with a perfect love, and You
call us all to love You with our whole heart, soul and mind. And
You call us to love others with the love You have for them. Fill my
heart with love of You and all people, especially those who are
most difficult to love. Give me wisdom, dear Lord, to know how to
love others in You so that they will experience Your perfect love
in their lives. Jesus, I trust in You!
Image: The Messiah gives the New Law by Lawrence OP, license CC
BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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