THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Exodus 22: 20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10; Matthew 22: 34-40

(Rev. Dr. Francis Perry Azah)

There is a loose connection among today's readings that seems to center on the two outstanding precepts of the Mosaic Law: the love of God with all one's mind, heart, and will, and the love of one's neighbor as oneself. Jesus answers the scribe's question with a clarity that goes straight to the point. The purpose of the 613 specific provisions of the Old Law is summarized in the commandment to love God with all one's being and above all else. The second, and similar, is the love of one's neighbor. Elsewhere Jesus has said that the Christian duty is to seek out and make ourselves as a neighbor to others. The Book of Exodus recalls specific provisions of the Law regarding strangers, the poor, and the unfortunate. The Lord reminds His people that they themselves were once strangers in a foreign land. To the strangers, widows, orphans, and to people experiencing poverty, they are to show justice and compassion. If not, the Lord Himself will punish wrongdoers and defend the helpless. Psalm 18 seems to echo the strength and security of one who has put his real trust in the Lord. St. Paul praises the brethren in Thessalonica for their acceptance of the faith and, in particular, for their hospitality. St. Paul and his companions received from them. Their example has spread to the other churches.

In the first reading, God gives us an idea of how and why we must love our neighbor, especially resident aliens, widows, orphans, and poor people (cf. Exodus 22:21-24). Resident aliens are strangers who are living among us. They include: immigrants (whether or not they have become citizens), people who do not belong to the original people of the land, or people who, because of their attitudes or sinful patterns of behavior, have separated themselves from the rank and file of God's people. God says we must "not wrong or oppress" (Exodus 22:21) them, as well as the widows and orphans. He gives a reason why aliens must not be wronged or oppressed---everyone on earth is an alien or stranger in one way or the other; we all came into this world from the mind of God, and we will all go back there (or wherever we, by our conduct, have chosen to go). In the spiritual sense, we were aliens in the land of Egypt---that is, when we didn't know God, and were slaves to sin, the self, the world, and the devil. God gives a stern warning about abusing them: "When they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans" (Exodus 22:23), and then be forced to know how it tastes to be widows and orphans.

As for the poor, God says we shall not deal badly with them by charging them interest. We could be this poor man or woman. We didn't escape poverty by our own might, as such. I know we made, and are still making, an effort to work out our future---and, it is recommended to do so. But the truth is that some did make a similar effort to escape poverty and are still exerting themselves to the full, but have not been as blessed as some of us are. What we are, or have, today "is all God's work" (2 Corinthians 5:18); we have only received grace upon grace (cf. John 1:16); and no one merits God's grace. But, if we ignore all this by exerting the poor, taking their cloak in pawn, and failing to return it before the sun goes down with no regard to the fact that it may be our neighbor's only clothing to use as cover, God is asking: "In what else shall that person sleep?" (Exodus 22:26). Whether in this circumstance or in a similar one, God is giving us a serious warning: "If your neighbor cries out to me (and there may not be any such abused person who wouldn't cry out to Him), I will listen, for I am compassionate" (Exodus 22:27). He hears the cry of the poor against abuse. When God listens to the cry of the poor, what does that imply for us? He might make us poor, make us take their position just that we may know how it tastes to be poor; He might do this just because we have not loved Him in the poor: "What you do (or fail to do) to the least of these my brethren, you do (or fail to do) it to me" (Matthew 25:40). He requires a response.

Loving God is tough, but loving others can sometimes be even more difficult. Again, there is no instruction manual, no song, and no magazine article that will give you the secret formula for loving others better. But think of it like swimming lessons. We have a great instructor in the Holy Spirit, but He can't help us make any progress if we're standing on the side of the pool. We need to take the risk of wading into the water. So the first thing we need to do is tell God that we truly and sincerely wish to follow his commandments of love and to love as he does. That little walk on your way up to receive Holy Communion is a great time to renew your commitment! But after we decide to take the risk, we have to learn from our instructor, be open to his teaching, and remove anything that is blocking us from following it. Without that instruction, without God's grace, we can't make any progress.

Take that second step to remove the things blocking God's grace and make use of the sacrament of Reconciliation, God's gift of love and peace. But then, the third step, after wading in and receiving that instruction, is to get to work, exercising and improving, beginning first with the basic strokes and moving to more advanced ones. The best way to improve in loving others is by starting with those closest to you, treating them with the respect and attention that they deserve – family, friends, coworkers, teammates, and classmates. And as you grow stronger in the basics, you can go to the next step in loving others. The love that Jesus shows us here isn't some passing, self-indulging emotion, but one that wants to get the most out of something. It's a courageous, sacrificial, and enduring lifestyle that we learn through the gift of ourselves to others. And this lifestyle is summed up in one symbol – the crucifix. So as we approach the Lord in the Eucharist today, that sincere gift of Himself out of love for us, let us strive to live that same lifestyle and give that gift of ourselves to God and to others.