31st Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year B By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior

First Reading: Deuteronomy 6:2-6/Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3a.3bc-4.47.51ab (R. 2) Second Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28/Gospel Acclamation: John 14:23/Gospel: Mark 12:28b-34

Theme: Love And Do What You Like

Today, we are called to be practitioners of love. Generally, love is thought to be the affection towards others or for things. Many misconstrue what love is all about. It is not just a feeling or an emotion; it is a decision! To speak of love is easier than to live it. Loving others is demanding, yet that is what to which we are called. What we are called to is above filial, storgē and erotic love. It is agape, unconditional love, and it requires all we are and have! True love sacrifices and Jesus teaches us how to go about it in today’s readings. To this important call, we turn our gaze.

In the first reading, we read the Shema (which is the imperative of the Hebrew verb ‘to hear’). It is the Jewish confession of faith in Yahweh as the only God, and it is the foundation of Jewish monotheism. Moses tells the people of Israel: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deut. 6:4-5). Heart, soul and might signify the entirety of the human person. Love must involve all we are and all we have! Faithfully carrying out the commandments of God is rewarding, and so, Moses makes known God’s promises of prolonged life, favour, fruitfulness and a blessed land (cf. Deut. 6:2-3). With these divine promises, the Psalmist is exultant and so sings: “I love you, Lord, my strength” (Ps. 18:2). He calls God rock, fortress, saviour, refuge, shield, saving strength and stronghold to indicate the awesome invincibility of God (cf. Ps. 18:2).

Knowing too well that the proof of love for God is obedience to his commandments, Jesus says in the Gospel Acclamation: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him” (Jn. 14:23). Thus, as highlighted earlier, loving God brings rewards of divine presence and visitation, favour and protection. One never walks alone since God is on their side. Surely, this is good news that needs to be repeated always to all people everywhere! Consequently, in the Gospel, Jesus reiterates the Shema as we also see it in the first reading. What is reported in the Old Testament, Jesus repeats in the New Testament to show the unity of Holy Scriptures and to fulfil the Law in himself (cf. Mk. 12:29-30; Mt. 5:17).

One of the scribes comes to Jesus to ask him: “Which commandment is the first of all?” (Mk. 12:28). In other words, the scribe is asking about which of the commandments is the greatest. In answer to this question, Jesus summarises the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) into a commandment of love – love of God which is inseparable from the love of neighbour (cf. Mk. 12:29-31; Lev. 19:18). The neighbour in question is not just a fellow Jew as was thought, but includes gentiles. Thus, for Jesus, religion is love of God and love of human beings. Again, Jesus adds a little but very important detail that must not escape our notice. He says “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk. 12:31b). Matthew’s account renders this detail as this: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mt. 22:40). The ‘law and the prophets’ refers to the Holy Scriptures. On the other hand, the Lukan account has it that it is the scribe/lawyer himself who quoted the Shema, for which Jesus tells him: “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live” (Lk. 10:28). In all these accounts, Jesus makes it clear that love is the summary of the commandments and the basis of scriptures, and that, by practising love, we shall have eternal life. Put differently, life is all about love and so, we should live in it!

Beloved in Christ, God is love and has created us in and for love. Love is the commandment; love is the way to life. This is what runs throughout all the readings today. We all have the capacity for love. Deep within each person is the divine seed of love. We must allow it to take root, mature and blossom beautifully through charitable words and deeds. When we do this, we fulfil God’s commands. In fact, as earlier on intimated, the Decalogue or Ten Commandments is summed up in one: Love of God and neighbour (cf. Ex. 20; Deut 5; Mt. 22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-34 and Lk. 10:25- 28). Let us not cover love with wickedness, hatred, malice and all kinds of evil.

We live in love when we live like Christ who gave himself for us. If we give ourselves to one another, that is love! That is why in the second reading, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews cites for our example, the perfect love and eternal priesthood of Christ. The priest offers sacrifice and is a mediator between God and human beings. He is the one who opens a way of access to God. Christ sacrificed himself for us out of love. Thus, he is the perfect priest and the perfect sacrifice. He offered himself once and for all (cf. Heb. 7:27). The Old Covenant was based on law, justice and obedience to be achieved by man; the New Covenant is based on God’s love for us. Hence, Christ “is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). We too ought to love God always.

Today in our world, many are afraid to do charitable things because of fear. Some regret having welcomed and entertained unknown people to their detriment. Unknowingly, they welcomed thieves, armed-robbers, tricksters, into their homes and cars. For this reason, some have sworn never to give lift to those who stand by the road to look for cars in which to travel. Also, fraudsters have intermingled themselves with those who are genuinely in need, and this makes it somewhat difficult to separate the bad nuts from the good. In spite of these unpleasant situations, we ought to live in charity. The Venerable Fr. Francis Mary Paul Libermann, co-founder of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans) repeated on his deathbed: “Above all charity…charity above all… charity in Jesus Christ. Charity through Jesus Christ…charity in the name of Jesus Christ; fervour…charity…union in Jesus Christ…the spirit of sacrifice” (Notes & Documents XIII, 659- 660; Spiritan Rule of Life, no. 38). It is the practice of charity that will win us heaven!

We need to be united with Jesus Christ and also to pray for the spirit of sacrifice. United with Christ, we are able to discern the will of God, our eyes are opened to see those who are really in need and our hearts are moved with the compassion that leads to sacrifice. Many relationships, marriages, families, communities, institutions and countries are suffering because of lack of sacrifice. Some parents and guardians find it difficult to sacrifice for their children. There are leaders, people in authority and governments who think first of their pockets before serving the people; and if they do serve them, it is because they are making more money than bettering the lots of those they serve. Genuine sacrifice demands that we live not just with others but for others. Love, if it is true, will never live for itself but for others! It will never do whatever it likes but the will of God. True love is never self-centred but selfless; it is never possessive but freeing; never asking what ‘they can do for me’ but ‘what I can do for them.’ It thinks of others’ welfare.

We do charity not just with money, but everything that is a resource to us. This can be our time, attention, natural endowments (talents), spiritual gifts, material possessions, things we no longer use, things we have but have never used and can part with them. God desires love than sacrifice (cf. Hos. 6:6). St. Augustine once said, “Love God and do what you like.” We cannot actually love God and do what we like for true love is unselfish. When we love God, what we like to do is nothing but love, because God is love. When we love God, it flows to others; we become selfless and love as God loves. Sharing is caring, so let us spread love that all will catch up with it and be transformed. We pray to the Holy Spirit who is Love Subsistence to inflame our hearts once more with sincere and deep love. Happy Sunday! Remember: #Love-God-And-Do-What-You-Like#

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