At the time of Jesus, the Pharisees held that the ultimate self-revelation of God was the Torah. The Torah was eternal, unchangeable, and the way to be saved. If a person kept the Torah, he would find life. There were 613 distinguished laws in the Torah. Although the Torah was eternal, it was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Since the elders held that not all laws were equal; some were heavy and some were light. So they asked Jesus what was the most important precept in the Torah “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus had answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love God above all.” And then he added in Leviticus 19:18 as a co-equal precept “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus was the first person to put these two laws together. In the first reading it instructs us that our love of neighbor must be practical and concrete. In today modern time, there seem too many people talk a good game of care and compassion, but never do anything. If we say we love our neighbor, we must show it by our deeds. Our deeds include what we do to our classmates, to our friends, to our teachers and to our family members. And what we do shows how much we love or don’t love our neighbors. Also what is important is how much do we love God that we will follow God’s law to love our neighbor as ourselves?


Questions for reflection

1. What is the purpose of God’s law and commandments?
2. What does God require of us?
3. What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us?
4. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart?
5. Who is our neighbors?

Prayer
Almighty God, your love surpasses all. Fill my heart with your love and increase my faith and hope in your promises. Help me to give myself in generous service to others as you have so generously given yourself to me. Help me to love my neighbors as you have loved them. Thank you for your love. Amen.

by Hồng Ân Chúa