Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Love for God and Neighbor Cannot Be Separated

The "law and the prophets" that Jesus refers to in today's Gospel (the Old Testament) were considered by the Jews to contain the absolutely unique self-revelation of the one, true God to his only Chosen People.

Possessing this revelation made ancient Israel more privileged than all other nations and peoples.

Therefore, when the Pharisee asks Jesus to identify the greatest among the 613 commandments of the Old Testament, he is really challenging Christ to give an interpretation of the entire history and reality of the Israelite nation. We can imagine Christ fixing his eyes on those of the questioner, wondering how sincere the question really was.

St Matthew doesn't tell us how the Pharisee reacted, but we can imagine that he was surprised, if not downright shocked. Jesus had been asked to name one commandment, but then he listed two.

The shrewd Pharisees would have noticed this. In listing two commandments, Jesus was pointing out that you cannot separate loving God from loving one's neighbor. And that's exactly what many of the Pharisees did every single day.

God is our Creator and Savior; his love is both universal and personal.

He loves every single human being so much that he gave his life on the cross to pay the price for each person's sin, to open the gates of heaven to every single person who is willing to follow him.

And so, if someone truly loves God with all their heart, it would be a contradiction not to treat one's neighbors - those very people whom God loves and suffered to save - with sincere and self-sacrificing respect.

The old saying applies above all to God: A friend of yours is a friend of mine.

In today's world, people are very busy. Sometimes we even feel much too busy to take time to reach out to neighbors in need. A true Christian should always remember that people matter more than things. We should never be too busy for a kind word or a sincere smile.

But those of us who really are super-busy can also make use of a secret weapon that allows us to do more in less time, to fulfil both of Christ's two great commandments in one action.

What is this secret weapon? Praying for other people. When we pray for people, we are exercising both loves at the same time: we show our love for God by talking to him and expressing confidence in his goodness and power, and we show our love for our neighbor by caring about them.

To pray regularly and sincerely for others - it's the secret weapon for loving God and loving our neighbor. During this Mass, let's promise to use that weapon well.