30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 22:34-40
TODAY IS REFORMATION SUNDAY, ON WHICH OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER'S SEPARATION FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. KARL BARTH WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST OF PROTESTANT THEOLOGIANS. ONCE HE WAS ASKED BY A STUDENT WHAT WAS THE MOST PROFOUND DOCTRINE IN CHRISTIANITY. WAS IT THE INCARNATION? WAS IT THE TRINITY? WAS IT THE SPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BY THE FATHER AND THE SON? KARL BARTH REPLIED, “JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.”
IF YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE GOSPEL THESE PAST FEW SUNDAYS, YOU'VE NOTICED THAT JESUS' ENEMIES HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TRIP HIM UP IN HIS SPEECH. AND EACH TIME JESUS ESCAPES THE TRAP, BY GIVING A TRUTHFUL ANSWER, BUT ONE WHICH GOES OUTSIDE OF THE FRAME THAT THE QUESTIONER HAD ASSUMED. AND TODAY IS NO DIFFERENT. WHEN THE PHARISEES ASK WHICH IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT, THEY ARE THINKING OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, OR PERHAPS THE 613 THAT THE PHARISEES HAD DERIVED FROM THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES. IF JESUS SAYS ALL THE COMMANDMENTS ARE EQUALLY GREAT, HE WILL SEEM TO BE COPPING OUT, AND IF HE ACTUALLY PICKS ONE, HE CANNOT PICK ONE EVERY ONE WILL AGREE WITH, AND HE WILL BE IMPLYING THAT GOD'S WORD CONSISTS OF MORE IMPORTANT AND LESS IMPORTANT PARTS – KIND OF LIKE MANY OF US CATHOLICS REGARD THE TEACHINGS OF OUR CHURCH.
BUT JESUS GIVES THEM THE STATEMENT CALLED THE SHEMA, THE PRAYER THAT WAS RECITED EVERY MORNING AND EVERY NIGHT BY EVERY JEW FROM THE AGE OF THREE ON; IT WAS THE FIRST THING TAUGHT TO CHILDREN, IN OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDMENT OF MOSES. JESUS' REPLY WAS LIKE KARL BARTH'S IN A WAY. THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WAS NOT HIDDEN AND PROFOUND; IT WAS RIGHT THERE ON THE LIPS OF EVERY CHILD.
AND WE ARE TOLD THAT THE SHEMA IS THE SUMMARY OF ALL COMMANDMENTS; IT CONTAINS THEM ALL.
ALL. THAT IS SUCH A SMALL WORD, AND HOLDS SO MUCH. AND THAT IS THE WORD THAT MAKES THIS COMMANDMENT OF JESUS SO HARD TO OBEY. ALL OF US PROBABLY LOVE GOD SOMEWHAT, AND SORT OF LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR. BUT ALL OUR HEART, SOUL AND MIND? OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELF? WELL, I ADMIT IT, I DON'T.
TO JESUS AND HIS HEARERS, THE HEART IS THE WAY WE LOVE. WE HEAR THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE, “WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE IS YOUR HEART.” WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE, WHERE IS MINE? IT'S NOT HARD TO FIND. ITS' THE LAST THING WE THINK ABOUT AS WE DRIFT OFF TO SLEEP; ITS WHERE OUR MIND GOES WHEN IT IS IDLE; IT'S WHAT WE DAYDREAM ABOUT, WHAT WE WANT TO DO WHEN WE GET THROUGH EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO DO. IN THESE MOMENTS DO OUR MINDS NATURALLY TURN TO GOD? DO WE SLIP EASILY BACK INTO OUR DIALOGUE WITH JESUS? ARE WE CONSCIOUS OF THE WHISPERINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? WITH ME, SOMETIMES, BUT CERTAINLY NOT ALL.
TO JESUS AND HIS HEARERS, THE SOUL WAS NOT WHAT YOU AND I THINK OF AS THE SOUL. IT WAS BREATH, IT WAS CONNECTED TO LIFE ITSELF, IT WAS THAT PART OF YOU THAT MADE YOU YOURSELF. IT WAS WHAT NO ONE ELSE COULD KNOW ABOUT YOU, AND EVEN YOU COULD SPEND A LIFETIME AND NEVER COMPLETELY KNOW THE DEPTHS OF YOUR OWN SOUL. AND IT WAS WHERE YOU MET GOD. BUT IF MOST OF US WERE TO EXAMINE OUR DEEPEST SELVES, WE WOULD SEE FRAGMENTS, PARTS SEPARATED FROM OTHER PARTS; ONE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN SOCIETY IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE FRAGMENTED PERSONALITIES, AND SOME OF US HAVE ALMOST NO PERCEPTION OF WHAT IS REALLY REAL ABOUT US. AND MOST OF US HAVE NOT BECOME ENOUGH ACQUAINTED WITH THAT MYSTERY THAT IS ME TO MEET THE GOD THAT DWELLS WITHIN ME.
TO JESUS AND HIS HEARERS, THE MIND IS THE RATIONAL PART, THE PART THAT JUDGES, THAT ANALYZES, THAT EXPLAINS. TO LOVE GOD WITH OUR MINDS MEANS THAT WE ALWAYS SEE THE WORLD NOT THROUGH THE EYES OF OUR OWN CULTURE, BUT THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD. THE EVENTS THAT HAPPEN TO US, THE THINGS TAKING PLACE IN THE WORLD, ARE NEVER SEEN WITHOUT SEEING THEM IN THE CONTEXT OF JESUS' LIFE AND TEACHINGS. TO LOVE GOD WITH OUR MINDS IS TO STRUGGLE TO MAKE OUR MINDS LIKE THAT OF JESUS. AND I KNOW I DON'T DO THAT. NOW AND THEN I DO, BUT IT HAS NOT YET BECOME AUTOMATIC. IT HAS NOT YET BECOME ALL.
AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF?
IT'S GOOD AND RIGHT THAT WE LOVE OURSELVES. AFTER ALL, GOD LOVES US. AND IF WE LOVE OURSELVES, WE NATURALLY SEEK TO EAT WELL, TO HAVE COMFORTABLE HOMES, TO PURSUE OUR HOBBIES, TO ENJOY OUR LEISURE. WE SEEK OUT THE BEST MEDICAL CARE THAT WE CAN WHEN WE ARE SICK.
AND DO WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES WHEN THAT NEIGHBOR IS HUNGRY WHEN WE THROW AWAY FOOD? WHEN OUR NEIGHBOR IS SLEEPING UNDER A BRIDGE WHEN WE HAVE HOMES LARGER THAN WE REALLY NEED? WHEN WE HAVE LEISURE TIME TO PURSUE OUR INTERESTS AND OUR NEIGHBOR HAS TO WORK 12 HOURS A DAY SEVEN DAYS A WEEK JUST TO KEEP HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY FED? WELL, I OBVIOUSLY DON'T LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF. AND YOU PROBABLY DON'T EITHER.
THESE ARE THE TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS, NOT SUGGESTIONS, BUT COMMANDMENTS. AND I HAVE FALLEN VERY SHORT. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT I AM A LITTLE BETTER AT IT NOW THAN I USED TO BE, AND THE GOD IS REALLY MERCIFUL.
SO THIS WEEK OUR TASK IS TO LOOK AT OUR OWN LIVES, AND ASK, IF WE REALLY WERE TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL, AND MIND, AND OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? HOW WOULD THINGS BE DIFFERENT? AND WHEN WE CAN ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, WE AT LEAST HAVE A DIRECTION IN WHICH TO BEGIN TO MOVE. TO LOVE AS JESUS CALLS US TO LOVE, TO LOVE WITH THAT WORD “ALL”, IS COSTLY; IT COSTS EVERYTHING. AND WE CAN'T DO IT – EXCEPT IN JESUS, WHO ALREADY DID IT, THERE ON THE CROSS. TO LOVE WITH THE WORD “ALL” MEANS EMPTYING OURSELVES OF EVERYTHING, AND BEING FILLED UP WITH GOD. DO WE DARE LIVE THIS WAY? IF WE CAN, RESURRECTION WILL FOLLOW, AS IT DID FOR JESUS, AS JESUS PROMISED.