Two Great Commandments

Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

I don’t know why the framers of the lectionary excerpted the first verse of the Gospel; but the fact is, they did. After Jesus is challenged by the Pharisees and the Saducees with questions about paying taxes to Caesar and about marriage, St. Luke writes: One of the scribes came near and heard Jesus and the Saducees disputing with one another; and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him: “Which commandment is the first of all?” In other words, this scribe is not challenging Jesus or trying to trip him up as the others were. After hearing Jesus respond to his critics, he wants to hear more because he respects Jesus’ position. Because of that respect, he wishes to interact with Jesus. That interaction is unlike any other in the Gospels.

There are six hundred and thirteen prescriptions in the Law of Moses. Questions about priority had been debated by rabbis and students of the Torah ever since those commandments had been written on parchment or carved in stone. Jesus answers the question of the scribe with four Hebrew words: Lord – God; Lord – One. In order to make it understandable in English, we translate it thus: “The Lord our God; the Lord is one.” To demonstrate that he or she believes that God is one, the believer expresses his or her loyalty with his or her own oneness – heart, soul, mind and strength – one’s whole being, the union of all aspects of one’s human nature.

Jesus then goes on and expands his answer by stating the commandment that is second in importance: Love your neighbor as yourself. The sense of unity that is expressed in the first commandment is underlined by the second. Love of neighbor and love of oneself unites us. We are not one and the other. We are simply one. The scribe approves of Jesus’ answer. He honors Jesus by his statement, and Jesus shows him honor in return by declaring that he is not far from the reign of God.

This brief exchange between a scribe and Jesus teaches us much about the human family. Although there are 613 commandments, it has become painfully obvious that there are not enough laws to cover the infinite territory of human relationships. There are an endless variety of human situations, and within that endless variety, there is endless nuance. Humankind has been writing laws ever since the Hebrew Scriptures wrote down the 613 commandments because laws are unable to foresee everything that the future will bring. The number of laws passed by our legislatures is vast as we continue to grapple with human relationships and human interaction. As we continue to write laws, it seems that we have forgotten the two most important commandments. We seem to have come to a point in human history when the Law is used to divide rather than to unite. The respect that the scribe and Jesus showed one another is a far cry from the legal wrangling and debating that takes place in our society and in our culture. We seem to have perfected the art of name-calling and personal vilification. There is very little by way of love of God or love of neighbor in evidence in our public discourse.

Sadly, the same can be said of our Church. I never thought that I would live to see the day when anyone, much less another churchman, would accuse and call for the resignation of the Pope. Do we even believe anymore that the Holy Father is the Vicar of Jesus Christ? Yes, he is a man, a human being like all of us. He has told us that he regards himself as a sinner just like you and I are sinners. Yet having said that, do we not also believe that he was chosen to lead us by the Holy Spirit speaking through those who are charged with this responsibility. The lack of unity in our human society has invaded our Church as well.

The Gospel today, quoting the Book of Deuteronomy, call us to hear, to listen, to let God’s Word penetrate not only our ears but also our hearts and to respond with fidelity and loyalty and unity. We are called to hear with our ears and our hearts the double commandment to love within and beyond the Law, for Love cannot be bound up in one or in 613 or in a million laws.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.