HOMILY OF 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (LOVE) — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: WHICH IS THE FIRST OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS?
BY: Fr. Casmir Nkamuke
Deut. 6:2-6, Heb. 7:23-28, Mk. 12:28-34
Today, we learn that love of God, and consequently of our neighbour, is not just the first and the greatest commandment, but also the summary of all laws, edicts, customs and traditions.
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In the first reading, we are presented with the credo of Judaism, a verse which every faithful Jew recites three times a day. The content is very simple: Our God is one, and we must love him with our all. Loving our God with our all simply means allowing the love of God to inspire and direct all our thoughts and deeds, in our workplace, our family, our private life, and our public life. God who did not spare anything to save us, demands that no part of our life should be denied the love of God.
Christ is the perfect expression of God’s unconditional love for humanity. As the great high priest, he offered up himself so as to offer us eternal life. He did this without counting our iniquities. He is the perfect model of Christian love, a love rooted in selfless sacrifice, and not one that is transactional or selfish.
In the gospel, Christ links the command to love God with the command to love our neighbour as ourselves. The love of God is perfectly expressed by our love for our neighbour. God expressed his love for us by offering his only begotten son for our salvation. To love the creator and hate his creatures is hypocrisy expressed in the highest order. Pious deeds of praying, fasting, mortification are good ways of showing our devotion to God. However, they are of no value if the fruits do not manifest in our relationship with our fellow human beings.
Beloved in the Lord, the greatest commandment is the command to love our God with our all. This is perfectly expressed in our love for our neighbour. Whatever thought or action we take that does not express the love of God is sinful. Loving our neighbour as we love ourselves is even deficient. Towards the end of his earthly mission, Jesus presented us a new basis for our love. We must express our love for each other not just as we love ourselves, but also in the model of the selfless and sacrificial love of Christ.
May God give us the grace to fear him and observe his commandments. May he inspire us to live each moment of our lives expressing our love for God through the love of our neighbours.
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