Reflection of the Word, XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel tells us of another encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees, who question him in order to put him to the test. “What is the greatest commandment of the law?” It is the one that every good Jew prays in the prayer of the “Shema Israel”, the prayer that expresses the affirmative answer to the Covenant: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your life, with all your mind...” (Deuteronomy 6:5); that is, with the whole being of your person: mind, will, heart. In this covenant between God and his people, not only the intellect is enough, nor is it the feeling; but it is necessary to involve the whole life of each one and of the community. And from this commandment derives another, no less important: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18-34). This sums up the law and the prophets.

But how can love of neighbor become concrete? We have the answer in the book of Exodus, chapter 22, where we find the ten commandments that we received through Moses. And specifically, today we read these verses that say, “Do not make the stranger suffer or oppress... Do not exploit the weak... Do not be a usurer... practice justice and help the poor... Those are concrete ways to practice the commandment of love.

P. Tarcisio