Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Gospel according to Matthew, we can picture Jesus surrounded by Pharisees, who are hounding him, somewhat like aggressive reporters. 

A clever lawyer tries to stump Jesus: Which is the great commandment in the law? A tricky question. Why? Because the law had 613 do’s and don’ts. 

Jesus answers simply by reciting the daily Jewish prayer, the “Shema” (“Hear!”): You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Then Jesus startles his listeners by adding love of neighbor. We love God to the extent we love our fellow human beings. 

Yes, we often forget: behind “appearances” people reflect the image of God. A disciple of Jesus sees the likeness of God in our fellow human beings, no matter how challenging that might be.

 Matthew 25 connects love of God with love of our neighbor: “when I was hungry, when I was thirsty” you did something. We can’t say we love God and yet neglect our fellow human beings.

You may have seen the classic play or movie “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

 In younger days, wrote the author of Genesis, Joseph went through betrayal by his jealous brothers and then slavery in Egypt. Yet despite these misfortunes, Joseph was ever faithful to God, trusting in God's unconditional love.

 Eventually, the powerless slave became the powerful administrator in the court of the pharaoh of Egypt, who made Joseph master of his house, ruler over all he possessed.

 Not only did Joseph remain faithful to God, but he also forgave his brothers for what they did to him.

Ultimately, Joseph's faithfulness to God led to a life of great fruitfulness. Our life too should be immensely fruitful, because the Spirit of God lives within us. We are “temples of the living God,” writes Paul. Just as God dwelt in the Jerusalem temple, so now he dwells in us by his Spirit. The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I close with a paraphrase of one of my favorite quotes:

 We shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that we can do or any kindness that we can show to any human being, let us do it now, let's not defer or neglect it for we shall not pass this way again. With this advice embedded into us, our love of God will shine through our love of our fellow human beings.