Sunday Reflection (October 25, 2020)

Jesus links Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 to form the “Great Commandment” in Matthew 22:24-40:  “You shall love the Lord  your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Love in this sense is loyalty to God and faithful actions toward our neighbor.  We still struggle with it.  For example, we may have empathy for suffering people in other nations from a distance, yet if they immigrate to our country and become our neighbor, we can become quite intolerant of them.

Jesus practiced the love of God by not saying:  “Hey, I love God!”  Rather, Jesus practiced the love of God by his humble, loving treatment of others, and pointing out the mistreatment of others. May we, his followers, do the same.  May the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor direct and orient lover lives as we reflect upon and practice the love of God.