Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Also Read: Mass Readings for 29 October 2023 Mass Reading Reflection for 29 October 2023
Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-40
Jesus is baring the core of His teachings in two simple statements; “You shall love God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” No command can be so simple and straightforward. All the teachings of Jesus are centered around these two precepts.
As a Christian, sitting in front of the holy altar, ponder for a while if our lives are centered around love as Jesus teaches. Jesus did not stop at teaching but made himself a good example of loving God and loving one another.
His love for God can be observed in two of His characteristics:
1. He was in constant communication with God the Father. He did not wait for a scheduled time to talk to God. He eagerly created hours to be united with His Father in prayer. He spent hours in prayer sacrificing even the basic needs like hunger, thirst, sleep, and rest. He prayed when He was happy, when he was grateful, when He was anxious, when He was tired When He had to make decisions when He was sad, and even when He was about to die.
2. He always sought the will of God above His own will and His comfort. From the beginning of His life, he never tried to run away from the plan of God, even though it included a humiliating death on the cross. His attitude is very well reflected in His prayer in Gethsemane, “Let thy will be done!” (Lk 22:42).
Love for his neighbor has three main characteristics:
1. He communicates with ease with men and women of different backgrounds. He talks through the night with Nicodemus, a Pharisee. On another day He waits for the Samaritan woman at the well to talk to her about redemption. He spent a whole night with the family of Zacheus, a tax collector. He visited the family of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha often and shared with them the heavenly mysteries.
2. He forgave unconditionally. He not only taught to forgive seventy times seven but also practiced it to perfection. He forgave Peter even after denying Him thrice. He forgave the disciples who deserted Him. He forgave all people involved in crucifying Him, and He went on to pray for them.
3. He sacrificed Himself on the cross for those whom He loved. It includes you and I. We did not merit it. We often do not admit and appreciate it. Yet He sacrificed Himself as a ransom for each of us.
Let us learn from Jesus to love God and love one another.
Amen.
