Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Sunday (A)

 

Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Sunday (A) [Mt 25:1-13]

08.11.2026

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

Readings: (1) Wis 6:12-16 (2) 1Thess 4:13-18

1.    Theme in brief

Wisdom and foolishness in Christian life

2.    Focus Statement  

We ought to live our Christian life wisely with sufficient foresight and be prepared to meet Christ with the light of faith burning in our hearts even if he comes at an unexpected hour.

3.    Explanation of the text

Going beyond the strict understanding of a parable, this Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (or Virgins) indicates word for word meaning for its contents (as in an allegory): the bridegroom is Christ; Bridegroom’s arrival is Parousia (that is, the second or final coming of Christ); the wise and foolish bridesmaids are the good and bad Christians waiting to meet Christ at Parousia; the wedding banquet is the joy of God’s Kingdom yet to come (heaven); the lamp seems to be our faith; and the oil are the good works or authentic Christian life. Some authors consider God’s grace as the oil which keeps the lamp of faith burning. Surprisingly, the bride is never mentioned in this parable; maybe because the Bridegroom (Christ) is the central figure here. But from the commonly used image of the NT, we can very well conclude that the bride’s presence is presupposed and along with her ten  companions she represents the Church or Christian community waiting for the Lord to return.

The text says that among the bridesmaids who went to meet the bridegroom, five were foolish and five were wise (25:1-2). It points out the difference between the wise and foolish bridesmaids: the former ones take the provision of oil for their lamps and the latter do not; the former know about the possibility of the bridegroom coming at any time (even at night), but the latter are sure that he will not come at night; and the former go with the bridegroom into the wedding banquet and the latter are shut out (25:10). The foolish virgins are foolish in many ways: they have plenty of opportunity to procure oil, but do not; whereas the wise ones do; they do not take their duty seriously; they are so forgetful, careless, negligent and lack foresight.

The main message of this parable is related to the main theme of Jesus’ preaching, namely, the Kingdom of God (or heaven as Matthew calls it). Those who respond to his message of the Kingdom with repentance and faith will be rewarded when it will finally come at the end of times (also called Parousia) and those who fail to do so will be totally rejected as the foolish virgins were. This parable probably serves as a warning to early Christians who hoped for an immediate Parousia. It tells them that the Lord may be delayed beyond their expectation and that they should prepare for the long wait reserving enough oil for their lamps. The return of the Lord – compared to the coming of the bridegroom to take his bride – is certain but the time is uncertain. Hence, the disciples should keep awake or be watchful always, for they know neither the day nor the hour of Parousia (25:13).

The Bridegroom is the Lord of surprises; he comes at midnight – the most unexpected time (25:6). The readiness of the wise virgins (25:10) indicates their preparedness to meet the Lord whenever he comes. His coming will separate the wise virgins from the foolish ones or those who are prepared from the unprepared ones.  The former ones will enjoy fellowship with the Lord and the latter will be rejected for ever. What a contrast: their joy and hope at the prospect and opportunity of meeting the bridegroom as maids of honour is suddenly shattered due to their lack of foresight. Once the Bridegroom arrives, there is neither the time nor the opportunity for the five foolish virgins to change their minds or make reparation for their negligence, carelessness and foolishness. There is a point of no return which cannot be reversed. Any amount of “Lord, lord, open to us” (25:11) will not work after the door is shut (25:10) – indicating that admission into God’s Kingdom is not automatic, just because one calls oneself a Christian. Jesus has already said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (7:21).

4.    Application to life                     

As the liturgical year is coming to an end, the Church, through this gospel text, invites us to be prepared for the end of our lives or the end of the world by following the example of the wise virgins. The whole Church is like a Bride waiting to meet the heavenly Bridegroom when he comes at Parousia and to rejoice with him in the Kingdom of heaven. [Note: Here Matthew speaks about the future aspect of God’s Kingdom by beginning this parable: “Then the Kingdom of heaven will be like this,” 25:1]. Like the wise virgins we should persevere in good works to keep our faith alive. Christians who take their faith seriously and try to live by it are like the wise virgins and those who do not are like the foolish ones. We have to ask ourselves whether we are like the wise or foolish virgins in spiritual matters, or whether we live our Christian life wisely or foolishly, alertly or carelessly, and warmly or lukewarmly. It can happen that we get fed up of waiting for God and sleep over our duties. Just as the foolish virgins weren’t prepared for a long night of waiting and watching, we too can become careless to keep our faith burning brightly during the long waiting till Jesus returns or till the end of our lives. Lack of God’s miraculous intervention in our life (as we wish) may lead to tepidity (half-heartedness), routine and sleepiness (laxity and inactiveness).

Today we need to examine ourselves once again whether we are awake or asleep. Just like any wise driver who takes an extra wheel in his vehicle, foreseeing the possibility of getting a puncture in one of the tyres during the journey, we too need to apply similar farsightedness in spiritual growth and building up our character. None of us may want to hear these words at the end of our lives: “Truly I tell you the truth, I do not know you” (25:12). This is said of those who those who claim to be Christians only nominally, who go through certain religious rituals and traditions routinely, but do not take the values of the gospel as the norm of their lives. They only pretend to be what they actually are not. Hence, the gospel invites us to get rid of our spiritual complacency and take advantage of every opportunity we get to nourish our souls with God’s Word and sacraments, which give us the required energy to persevere in good works. Otherwise, we may get nothing after hoping for everything.

That all the ten virgins took lamps with them and were waiting for the bridegroom indicates, though all are Christians, some are so foolish that they do not possess oil. They have ‘lamps’ (faith) with them but lack ‘oil’ (good works or authentic Christian life). Due to lack of grace they are not able to oil their faith and progress in Christian character. Faith by itself, without good works, is dead (James 2:17) – the same as a lamp that has no oil in it. The folly of the foolish virgins consisted in their lack of foresight to think of the possibility of bridegroom coming late and not making provision for his delay. In this parable,  we are almost shocked at the selfishness or uncharitable behaviour of the wise virgins who refused to share their oil with those who begged for it (25:8). Good works, character and virtues can neither be borrowed nor be transferred to others, nor be obtained at the last minute. They need to be cultivated or earned with diligent efforts everyday by taking personal responsibility for our spiritual life and Christian commitment.

This parable further teaches us that we ought to keep the light of faith burning in our hearts till our heavenly Bridegroom comes to meet us at an unexpected hour. At any time in our life’s journey we may meet a serious crisis. When we enter into marriage/ religious life/ priesthood or take up any new responsibility or leadership roles, we do not know what challenges/ trials/ crises are awaiting us on the way. We should presuppose that there will be enough temptations on the way to be unfaithful, to slacken our initial enthusiasm and give up the fight. We need to apply the principle of foresight every now and then like the wise virgins to avoid evil and disaster by anticipating it in our minds or reflections. We need to ask ourselves whether we have the extra oil in reserve to resist the winds that may blow against our call and mission in life. In order to meet any crisis or eventuality on our life’s journey, like the wise virgins we need to be alert and make long-term preparation with sufficient reserve of oil. This oil is acquired by our contact with God, imbibing spiritual values and allowing them to be engraved in our hearts and building up our character day by day. Instead of doing so, we sometimes take it easy and neglect or postpone our duties. Carelessness in spiritual matters may make us easy victims to forces of evil and secular values.

Many of us suppose that only the foolish virgins slept off when the bridegroom delayed his arrival. But the text says clearly that all of them became drowsy and slept (25:5). At times, all of us sleep away our Christian life and commitment instead of living it. God gives us plenty of chances to mend our ways. But we cannot fool around for ever. Life is a serious venture and we must accept responsibility for our actions. Lack of farsightedness and preparedness may result in irreversible consequences like the foolish virgins. Once the door will be shut, any amount of knocking and pleading will not work. Once the opportunities pass us by due to our sleepiness, a sudden disaster may fall on us. Then it is useless to cry over spilt milk.

5.    Response to God's Word

Are we like the foolish virgins or wise ones who do not build their life purely on human resources and power? Do we live our Christian life wisely or foolishly, alertly or carelessly, and warmly or lukewarmly? Do we take our faith seriously and try to live by it like the wise virgins? Or are we nominal Christians who go through certain religious rituals and traditions routinely, but do not take the values of the gospel as the norm of our lives? Do we take advantage of every opportunity we get to nourish our souls with God’s Word and sacraments? Do we have sufficient foresight to keep spiritual stamina in reserve to resist the winds that may blow against our call and mission in life? Are we farsighted in spiritual growth and building up our character? What are the blunders we make due to our lack of farsightedness and preparedness to meet crises in life? In what way we neglect, postpone or sleep away our spiritual duties?

6.    A prayer

O heavenly Bridegroom, we are awaiting your second coming like a Bride with the light of faith burning in our hearts till we meet you. Come and receive us into your heavenly banquet. We regret for the times when we slept away our Christian life and commitment like the foolish virgins, instead of living it. Grant that we may be wise, shrewd and careful to carry out our spiritual duties and not foolish enough to build our life purely on human resources and power. Amen.

 

 

All Souls Day (A)

 

All Souls Day (A)

(Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed)

02.11.2026

Readings: (1) Wis 4:7-15 (2) 1 Thess 4:13-18

Gospel Reflections by Fr. Freddie Santhumayor SVD

A reading from the gospel according to Jn 11:17-27

N.B.: These reflections need to be adapted to any of the optional readings given for this day in the Lectionary or Liturgical Calendar [‘Ordo’].

Main Focus: Jesus gives the gift of divine (or eternal) life to those who put their trust in him, and those who receive this gift shall never die spiritually, even if they die physically.

In brief: Living for ever despite physical death

SYNOPSIS

For many Catholics, All Souls Day is a day of prayer for the ‘eternal rest’ of all the dead in their families. If we ask any of them, the reason for such prayer, naturally many of them would say that their prayer helps the dead to go to heaven from a state of purification called purgatory. Of course, this is true according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. But besides this, there are other reasons – not sufficiently emphasized or known to many – why we should pray for the faithful departed:

Our prayers for those who have died marked with the sign of faith are an expression or sign of our close relationship or bond that connects us with them even after death. All the faithful departed, though dead are still spiritually living with us. Since our communion with them is essentially spiritual, we express it by praying for them and offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice for their repose and purification from all imperfections before seeing the face of God. The saints in heaven also keep up this spiritual relationship with us by continually interceding with God on our behalf. Thus, “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8); we are one spiritual family; one in the Lord. Does this thught console you when you remember them in prayer and Holy Mass?

Secondly, today’s solemn commemoration of the faithful departed, should generate in us thoughts about our own death and the hope of eternal life that Christ has given us. This hope is not based simply  on a wish that we should continue to live after death, rather firmly founded on our faith in the resurrection of Christ. Because he has conquered death, now death cannot separate us and the faithful departed permanently from the love of God. The Church reminds us that when we die, we too, like the faithful departed, shall complete the process of dying with Christ and rising to new life begun at baptism. She invites us to reflect on this paschal character of our death and gives us the hope that we shall be with Christ and share in the glory of his resurrection forever.

This hope helps us cope with life’s challenges, since it can sustain and support us in times of suffering and crisis. It gives a meaning to all the suffering, sorrow, pain and struggles of life. We firmly believe that our sufferings will not be in vain and an unimaginable reward is awaiting us. As St. Paul says, they are not worth comparing with the glory to come (Rom 8:18). If we hope for the ‘Gold Medal’ (heavenly reward) in life’s race, we have to go through a rigorous exercise of trials, suffering, struggles and hardships. Suppose we have no hope of getting any reward, why should and how can we suffer with serenity at all? It will be a harsh and horrible suffering with nothing to hold on.

By raising Lazarus from death in today’s gospel text, Jesus promises that he has the power to free those who believe in him from the bonds of spiritual or eternal death, that is, “an alienation from the life of God” for ever (Eph 4:18). When Jesus says in the present tense “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), he means that he is the source of our resurrection now because, by his divine power he can give spiritual and eternal life to those who are spiritually dead and raise them at the final resurrection of all the dead. The power which death holds over people to separate them from God and his divine or eternal life is defeated by Jesus’ resurrection. On All Souls Day we pray that this wonderful promise may be fulfilled in the lives of our dearly departed. Since they believed in him, even though they have died, will live for ever (11:25). This thought consoles us when we are saddened by the loss of our dear ones.

But there is a condition – put by Jesus to Martha and to each of us today – if this experience has to become applicable: "Do you believe this (11:26)?" In John’s gospel “to believe” means to put one’s trust in Jesus. Faith in Jesus creates such a close communion with him that divine life which is in him flows into believers. And physical death cannot cut off that life. One who has faith lives even after death, in fact never dies in spirit (11:25-26). The believers share not only Jesus’ divine life here on earth but also resurrection because, death cannot defeat the life of God (1 Cor 15:53-57). Hence, death’s curse and sting is removed by Jesus by his resurrection.

All Souls Day is a great day of remembrance and loving gratitude. Our prayers and Eucharistic Sacrifice are signs that we have not forgotten the love and service of our departed family members and other brothers and sisters in the Church when they were with us, and are united with them with an unbroken bond of love and unity even after their death. As Jesus has said to Martha in today’s gospel, the faithful departed, who believed in Jesus, even though have died, their love and service, the values they lived and proclaimed, the sacrifices they made, and the positive influence they exerted on us continue to live forever in our hearts and in our memory (11:25-26).. Therefore, today we raise our hearts in gratitude to God for what he has done for us through them and say “How great are you O Lord; you have done wonderful deeds for us through so many loved ones from generation to generation!”

Today, the Church makes us realize that this world is not our permanent home, and our earthly life is a pilgrimage to God. The impermanence of earthly life makes us ponder about the meanness or foolishness of getting excessively attached to worldly possessions, and putting our full trust in them, instead of God who alone is our security. This thought should motivate us to live qualitatively different type of life, different from merely working and slogging, earning and spending, eating and drinking and making merry, because it is a preparation for eternal life with God. If we do not live a life of purpose, we die several times before we actually die, and will be guilty of living a wasted life. Is it not?

A prayer

Remember our brothers and sisters, O merciful God, who have fallen asleep in the peace of Christ. Admit them to rejoice in the light of your face and in the resurrection give them fullness of life. When our earthly pilgrimage is done, grant that we too may live with you for ever in communion with all the saints. Amen.

To read the full text of my Gospel Reflections for All Souls Day, please go to my Blog by clicking on the following link:

 

http://freddygospelreflections.blogspot.com

 

 

Feast of All Saints (A)

 

Feast of All Saints [Mt 5:1-12]

01.11.2026

Readings: (1) Rev 7:2-4.9-14 (2) 1 Jn 3:1-3

1.    Focus Statement:   

All of us are called to lead a life of holiness by our baptism itself and grow into it by following the path laid down by Christ in his Beatitudes.

2.    Theme in brief

Our call to holiness

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, traditionally called the Eight Beatitudes, true and internal happiness does not lie in wealth, success, pleasure, power, prestige and popularity, but in living or putting into practice the values of God’s Kingdom. The blessedness mentioned in this text is about serenity and inner peace and joy that is independent of what happens to us externally – a joy which cannot be taken away by sorrow, loss, pain and even death. Whereas worldly joy can come and go with fortune and success, this joy cannot be lost with the change of fortune or failure of our plans.

This sort of internal joy comes from acquiring the following attitudes:

1) Acknowledging one’s utter helplessness and putting one’s whole trust not in possessions or material things but only in God. It means acquiring a spirit of detachment from worldly wealth and becoming conscious of one’s total dependence on God (5:3);

2) Expressing solidarity with the broken-hearted of human society by weeping with those who weep, and by expressing sorrow for one’s own sins (5:4);

3) Keeping one’s passions and aggressive or violent instincts under control, and cultivating non-aggressive behaviour or action (5:5);

4) Longing for justice/ righteousness and holiness just as one longs for food when very hungry (5:6);

5) Feeling one with the feelings/ pain/ joy/ troubles/ problems of others with a compassionate heart (5:7);

6) Purifying one’s motives and intentions so that they do not become totally selfish, dubious, ulterior and adulterated (5:8);

7) Promoting and building up peace and reconciliation among people (5:9);

8) Suffering for justice or righteousness and for Christ’s values; as well as willingness to undergo persecution for the sake of Christ (5:10).

4.    Application to life                     

Today we rejoice in the Lord because innumerable of our brothers and sisters have achieved their life’s dream to be saints. We rejoice because we too share their joy and express our hope of reaching one day where they are. The saints are not a small caste of chosen people. Actually they are so innumerable that the Church may find it impossible to enlist all of them in her calendar. That is why today is a day to remember not only canonized saints but also innumerable saints who are not officially canonized by the Church. They are our brothers and sisters who lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way and became models of Christian life and holiness in their own life-situations. Saints are our ‘heavenly heroes and heroines’. We do not imitate their external appearances or styles as people imitate film stars, but their virtues and example in living a holy life in the midst of ups and downs of life.

By baptism, we are called to a life of holiness and are promised by God a heavenly reward. At that time we establish a spiritual relationship with all our Christian brothers and sisters. That is not broken even by death. Whether we live or die, we all belong to one spiritual family. Our relationship is continued by our prayer to saints so that they may intercede for us with God, and by their prayer to God for our salvation and protection. According to today’s gospel, who are the saints? Why are they rewarded and called “blessed?” Saints are models of an exemplary Christian discipleship lived according to the norms of the beatitudes. What is their reward? In today’s gospel we can find an answer to these questions:

1)    They lived a life of detachment from material possessions and relied totally on God, and now they enjoy the reward of the Kingdom.

2)    They mourned over evil in their personal lives as well as in the world, and now they enjoy the comfort of heavenly glory.

3)    They were meek in admitting their sins and failures, and now they have inherited the Promised Land.

4)    They were hungry for God’s values, and now he feeds them with the heavenly banquet.

5)    They were merciful towards the needy and the erring, and now they enjoy God’s infinite mercy on them.

6)    They were pure in their intentions and dealings, and now they see God face-to-face.

7)    They were peace-lovers and peacemakers, not peace-breakers; now they enjoy the full dignity of God’s children.

8)    They went through rejection, persecution, trials and abuse for Christ’s sake, and now they have received the reward of the Kingdom.

Today’s feast invites us not to place our full security in material possession but in God alone; to mourn for the sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pain and sorrows; to humbly admit our wrongdoings and faults and make amends for them; to hunger for peace and justice; to be compassionate towards the needy and the marginalized; and to stand for Christ’s values even when there opposition and persecution. If we live by these values, we too have the hope of receiving the heavenly reward like the saints. If no, it is high time to strive to walk on the path of the beatitudes. If we remain faithful to our call as God’s children, we have the hope of achieving our ultimate destiny, i.e. a share in God’s glory. In other words, if we strive to live by the norms of the beatitudes, we shall get the reward promised in them.

The saints are those who showed the way how to live these values, though they too had their human weaknesses.  The values and ethical demands advocated by Christ in the beatitudes reverse the mentality and values of the world. The world considers plenty of money, wealth, power and bodily pleasures as the paths to real happiness. Jesus reverses this mentality in his beatitudes. We often think saints were extraordinary people who could practice these seemingly unattainable ideals of the beatitudes. Though in theory we know that we are called to a life of holiness from the day of baptism, in reality who of us wants to stand in front of the mirror and sincerely say: “I want to be a Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Lawrence, St Monica or Mother Teresa?” We find these ideals too hard to practice and do not even give it a try.

Actually, nobody is born a saint. All of us have to strive to become one by following the path of the Beatitudes. Whenever we put these values into practice we should be happy that we too are following the path of holiness. But since as humans we often fail to live up to these high ideals, we should always regret for not having done our best to advance in holiness. We walk on the road to holiness by not trusting totally in wealth, admitting our mistakes or sinfulness, comforting those who weep and suffer, not compromising with worldly standards, becoming peacemakers instead of peace-breakers. To be holy is to realize day after day that we are children of God. He is looking at each one of us with love, he is looking for each one of us even when we go astray, and he is looking after us with a providential care. Sadly enough, today, we have so many short-cut methods or ways contrary to those followed by the saints to attain momentary happiness and temporary relief such as habitual or addictive use of drugs, alcohol, sex, T.V., cell phones, internet, etc.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we place our full security in God? Do we mourn over the miseries and sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pains? Are we humble enough to admit our sins and mistakes? Do we have a hunger for justice and righteousness? Are we compassionate towards the deprived and the marginalized? Do we have honesty and integrity of heart? Do we work to build bridges and bring reconciliation between warring and divided groups or persons? Do we stand for Christ’s values even when there is criticism, opposition, ridicule and persecution? Are we faithful to our baptismal call to holiness? Do we struggle to live a holy life in the midst of an unholy environment?

6.    A prayer

Lord, I do believe in the communion of saints. In the midst of all trials and temptations, grant me the grace to remain faithful to you so that I may attain the heavenly reward promised by you. Amen.

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 22:34-40]

25.10.2026

The Greatest Commandment

Readings: (1) Ex 22:20-26 (2) 1 Thess 1:5-10

1.     Theme in brief

Inter-relation between love of God and neighbour

2.     Focus Statement  

If our love and worship of God is genuine, it must be authenticated by our service to the needy.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to this gospel text, a lawyer from Pharisees asks a question with a hostile intention; that is, to test Jesus (22:34-35). He wants to know which commandment among so many in the Law of Moses is the greatest (2:36). Probably the lawyer wants to know whether all the statutes of the Law (totalling 613 as per Jewish tradition) are equally important for Jesus, or whether some are more important and some less. Or by using the word “greatest” probably the lawyer wants to know the summary of the whole Law or its central law.

Though the lawyer asks about only one (the greatest) commandment, Jesus gives two without being asked. Actually both of the commandments cited by Jesus are already found in the OT. First one is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 which says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might,” and the second one in Leviticus 19:18, which says: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” What is special about Jesus’ teaching is that he links together or combines these two widely scattered commandments in two different Books of the OT and makes both of them the greatest. He does this by saying that the second (that is, loving one’s neighbour as oneself) is like the first (22:39) or equal to the first in importance. In other words, he regards the second as of the same value or rank as the first.  Thus, he gives both the commandments a new and radical meaning. By doing this, he emphasizes the relatedness of these two commandments, and wants to tell his questioner that he cannot practise real love of God without loving his neighbours.

Jesus teaches that both commandments are not exclusive of or unrelated to each other. What he means is that one cannot love God exclusively without showing that love to one’s neighbours. Thus, he gives a social slant to one’s religious or spiritual duty to love God. At the end he states that these two commandments are like the threads on which both the Law and the prophets (that is, the entire OT) hang (22:40). In other words, the whole Law rests on these two pillars. Whereas the Jewish Rabbis used to say that the whole world hangs on the Law, Jesus says that the Law itself hangs on love of God authenticated by deeds of mercy done to the needy. The two commandments not only summarize all other laws but also provide the key for interpreting and understanding the meaning of all other laws.

Jesus’ combination of two commandments indicates that there is no hierarchy (that is, higher and lower rank) among two types of love: of God and love of neighbour. What is new in it is his redefinition of what love of God is – it not only means devotion to and worship of God but also service to one’s neighbour done out of love for God. According to him the greatest commandments, though two, are in fact one – to love God by loving our neighbours. In Luke’s gospel Jesus explains that our “neighbour” (Lk 10:25-37) could be anybody in need or is suffering.

Some even say that there are three commandments in this text: (1) to love God; (2) to love our neighbours; and (3) to love oneself. But the fact is, love of self in this context is presumed as natural and we are commanded to love our neighbours just as we love ourselves naturally. Self-love does not need a commandment.

4.    Application to life                     

Ever since Jesus combined or linked together the two OT commandments to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, various ways of understanding this teaching have emerged. These twin commandments are among those most misunderstood by many interpreters and preachers throughout Christian history. Which is the greatest commandment: to love God or to love neighbour? For the Jews (and for many Christians even today) love of God is more important and superior to love of neighbour, since it is mentioned as the greatest and first commandment by Jesus himself (22:38). But many Christians forget that according to Jesus, love of neighbour is also the greatest commandment, because he says that the second one is like or of the same rank as love of God. Some say that both love of God and neighbours are two separate commandments and mean different things. They say that love of God includes praising, thanking, worshipping, adoring and offering oneself to God, or faithfully fulfilling one’s religious/spiritual duties. This, they say, is our first duty. According to them, love of neighbour includes whatever service we render to others. But it comes in the second place after fulfilling our duties towards God. There seems to be no basis for this argument in the present gospel text, since the word ‘first’ in this context, as explained above, does not imply first in rank, but only first in a list. Moreover, Jesus says that the second is exactly like the first (22:39).

By combining two widely scattered statement of the OT, Jesus means to say that loving God with one’s heart, soul and mind, includes doing good, serving, caring and showing genuine concern for the welfare of our neighbours just as we do all these things to ourselves naturally. In our world, especially in the minds of the youth, love is equated with physical attraction between a boy (man) and a girl (woman) and is associated with intense feelings or emotion and natural attraction. But the whole of NT gives a special connotation to the word “love” (agape).  According to it, love is neither strictly emotional nor passive. It is not simply a happy feeling of friendliness or good will towards somebody. How can we look at the face of an enemy and have feelings of attraction? If we go by natural attraction, it is impossible to love such a person. Whereas natural attraction happens without our control or will, loving our enemy (that is, doing good to him/her) cannot happen without a decision of the mind, or making a conscious choice and acting upon it.

Love of neighbour is an active response to our experience of God’s love – a response shown in concrete actions, such as doing good to others, rendering service, showing compassion, performing deeds of mercy and doing self-sacrifice for the needy. It means doing these things even if we don’t have a good feeling or affection towards them as we have towards our friends and family members. In other words, it means primarily love of concern for the needy (Lk 6:32-33; 6:35), whether we have good feeling or natural attraction towards them or not. If we have, it is well and good; if we do not have also we are called to do good to anyone who is in need (Lk 10:29-37). Thus Christian love goes far beyond love of friendship or beyond our kinship circle, which is limited to a few persons. We return God’s love by loving our neighbour in whom he is encountered.

There is nothing wrong in the traditional understanding of what love of God means – praying, worshipping and adoring God or being faithful to one’s duties towards God. In addition, Jesus gives a new understanding of what love of God means by taking it far beyond its traditional understanding. He wants to tell those who try to seek God in prayer, fasting, renunciation, ritual worship, etc., they cannot find him if they have no concern for the welfare of others, or if they are not bothered to do good to the needy. Many of us are satisfied only by attending church on Sundays and going through some traditional prayers. But we do not allow our faith or religious practices to influence our behaviour in such a way that it overflows into genuine love for neighbours, especially the suffering and the needy. Actually, religious practices become meaningless if they do not lead us to show concern for human needs. If people claim to be Christians only for social identity and are concerned only with their own personal salvation, their claim becomes nothing but hollow.

There are people who do a lot of social service but do not believe in God or any Supreme Being. They call it humanitarian work or service to humanity. Sometimes practising Christians, including some priests and religious in the Catholic Church, are tempted to do social work purely for humanitarian motives. They are tempted to get immersed in material welfare and give God only a little corner. In his love commandment, Jesus combines spirituality with social concern. Actually, our social service is not purely humanitarian, but has its roots in the love of God. It flows out of our experience of God’s love through Christ. Spiritual minded people have to ask themselves whether their behaviour and actions match with their devotion to God, and social workers need to ask themselves whether their service is motivated by God’s love or something else. Jesus has made an intimate connection between our worship of God and service to neighbours. In John’s Letter this connection is more explicit: “We love (others) because he (God) first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers and sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:19-20).

If not for God’s love, why on earth should we do good to those who hate, abuse, strike on our cheek and take away our belongings as Jesus teaches in Lk 6:27-35? Since it is not in our human nature, it becomes extremely difficult (if not impossible) even when we want to do it on humanitarian ground. When there is so much love of God in our hearts, we are able to rise above our normal nature with supernatural grace better than those who do not have such motives. We are not commanded to be affectionate or friendly towards these people but to do good to such people also by making a decision of the mind. To love God with all one's heart, soul and mind, is to choose to respond to God’s love as God has chosen to love us, in spite of our unworthiness. For example, in many traditional families there are conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, not because both of them know ‘law’ but because they do not have natural attraction towards each other as blood-related persons have. Even if they do not have natural liking, good feeling and attraction for each other, they can decide to serve, care for and help each other only if they are motivated by the love of God. In every situation (in family, neighbourhood, religious community or workplace) we have to daily decide to accept people as they are; to do good even if they do not; to make sacrifices for the welfare of others; to help even those who never help us; to forgive those who have offended us; etc. Loving is not a feeling but a choice.

Why is love, as taught by Jesus, a commandment? First of all, Jesus does not command emotional or affectionate love, but love in action. He commands active love or love to be shown in action such as doing deeds of mercy even when we don't feel like doing them towards those with whom we do not have a good feeling. Secondly, Jesus, our Teacher summons us (his disciples) everyday to obey his twin commandments. He will do so till the end of our lives. Since we can never exhaust the limits, scope and opportunities for love, the Master continues to command us (his disciples) every day to love selflessly, to serve the needy, to make sacrifices for the welfare of others, to share our resources with those who do not have, to forgive those who have offended us, etc. Since it is difficult to love those who do not love us, Christ’s command reminds us to make a decision to love such people with his grace. If we disobey our Guru every time, how can we be called his faithful disciples? Thus love, as taught by Jesus, is a decision of the mind to be made everyday.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we consciously do good, render a service, show compassion, perform deeds of mercy and do self-sacrifice for the needy, by making a decision of the mind even if we don’t have a good feeling towards them? Do our faith or religious practices influence our behaviour is such a way that they motivate us to serve and do deeds of mercy to our neighbours, especially the suffering and the needy? Do we live our lives by choice – by making decisions of the mind daily to accept people as they are; to do good even if they do not; to make sacrifices for the welfare of others; to help even those who never help us in our family, neighbourhood, religious community or workplace? Do we always try to remain as faithful disciples of our Master (Jesus) by obeying his greatest commandment in this manner?

6.    A prayer

Dear and merciful God, grant that we may consciously do deeds of mercy and self-sacrifice for anyone in need out of choice.  May our faith and religious practices influence our behaviour is such a way that we get motivated to render service to the suffering and the needy. We are sorry for the times we lived as unfaithful disciples of our Master (Jesus) by disobeying his greatest commandment of loving God by loving our neighbours. Amen.