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The inner word

29 Dec 2013 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle A

One thing we hear in this week’s readings—and last week as well—is a quiet reminder of Jesus’ “Great Commandment”: Love your neighbor as yourself, as well as another one of his most important messages: Forgive others; judge not. Last Sunday Saint Joseph refused to take the easy, judgmental way out and instead show mercy to his pregnant wife-to-be, Mary. Today you are reminded that God will remember kindness to others, like an ailing father, and therefore show kindness to you. Forgive one another, the epistle says, because God has already forgiven you.

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Exploring the word

11 Jul 2010 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

MERCY IS IN danger of becoming an antique word. We live in a tough world where cynicism is the protective wrapping around many hearts. Hostility toward the enemy and suspicion of the stranger are the norm. Our bitterly partisan culture encourages us to be vitriolic toward competing ideas and those who hold them. It's acceptable and even fashionable to be rude, self-promoting, and other-denying. The more hysterical the public rhetoric is, the farther it travels and the more popular it becomes. We must oppose this trend. Christians can't afford to toss their hats in the ring with intolerance, arrogance, and downright cruelty. When hysteria rules, we must remain good stewards of our words and emotions and where they lead us. Spraying unbridled passion about self-indulgently is incompatible with the baptismal vocation. We're called to surrender our lives for others, not trample them underfoot if they oppose our point of view. Why is that important? Because demonstrating mercy toward the neighbor is an imperative of our faith. Eternal life hangs in the balance when we choose to exercise or deny compassion. The great commandment obliges us to love God and neighbor. And if we want to quibble about the definition of neighbor, we only have to listen to the parable of the Good Samaritan again. Good Samaritan has become a metaphor for do-gooding; that's unfortunate. The Good Samaritan is not a philanthropist spreading money around on his favorite causes. No, the Samaritan is not a charitable guy in the traditional sense. He's a brave man who crosses clear social lines to rescue the wrong person: his enemy. A man who hates him. A man to whom he owes nothing, neither kindness nor sustenance. Chances are the fellow in the gutter would have let the Samaritan bleed to death had the roles been reversed. The Samaritan doesn't weigh that probability very heavily when making the decision to help. Most of us can't get our minds around what the Samaritan does because we can't even offer an ideological opponent common courtesy, never mind spending time, money, and genuine compassion on the suffering of a perceived foe. We have little practice with sympathy, much less empathy. The modern model is to be sarcastic, distant, and unconcerned. "Not my problem, not my job" is the mantra. Many of us don't even want to hear about the plight of undocumented immigrants, or gay bashing, or the intimidation of American Muslims, or the continued effect of racism and sexism, even when it operates in our church assemblies. The Good Samaritan remains a rather lonely fellow. Yet the advice of Jesus is plain: "Go and do likewise." Related scripture links Written on hearts of flesh: Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 11:19-2, 36:26-27 We are God's letter: 2 Cor. 3:2-3 The word dwells in us: Phil. 3:16 You shall love the Lord and your neighbor: Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5, 10:12 Catechism links Mercy: CCC 1822; 1825; 1829; 2083; 2447; 2822

Authors Alice Camille

great commandment love your neighbor Good Samaritan

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Homily stories

03 Oct 2010 - Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Sticky note sat on top of a pile of work with the words, "Couldn't get to it, could you?" scratched on it. The missive writer was an assistant to the manager. The missive reader was the manager who came in Monday morning expecting his employee to have completed a specified list of tasks before the young assistant went on vacation. The manager reread the note several times in disbelief. In his wildest imaginings he could not see himself leaving such a note on his boss' desk. Work ethic, duties, job responsibilities had obviously not been clearly defined and would have to be reiterated. He was not looking forward to the task. The gap between his expectations and his employee's understanding of the job suddenly seemed unbridgeable. Most of us would be extremely disappointed--even shocked--if someone we had direct authority over--an employee, a student, a son or daughter--dismissed an important assignment without so much as a by your leave. Yet that is what we often do to God. God commands us to love, and God's expectation is that we will follow that command. It is what we are obliged to do. No matter what the circumstances, our job is to love. No excuses are exceptable, and certainly no Post-it notes saying, "Dear God, that love and forgiveness business--couldn't get to it. Could you?"

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Love great commandment

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The inner word

25 Dec 2016 - Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Cycle A

One thing we hear in this week’s readings—and last week as well—is a quiet reminder of Jesus’ “Great Commandment”: Love your neighbor as yourself, as well as another one of his most important messages: Forgive others; judge not. Last Sunday Saint Joseph refused to take the easy, judgmental way out and instead show mercy to his pregnant wife-to-be, Mary. Today you are reminded that God will remember kindness to others, like an ailing father, and therefore show kindness to you. Forgive one another, the epistle says, because God has already forgiven you.

love your neighbor judge not Forgiveness forgive one another great commandment
Homily stories

03 Nov 2024 - Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

When Jesus is quizzed about the single most important Commandment, he responds with two—love of God AND love of neighbor. Today, we refer to this two-in-one directive as the Great Commandment. On the one hand, the Great Commandment is biblical shorthand for the Ten Commandments: of those ten decrees, the first few reference love of God, while all the rest pertain to love of neighbor. But the Great Commandment also shines a bright light on Judaism’s central teaching, called the Shema. The first part of the Great Commandment is a direct recitation of the Shema prayer (from the Old Testament books of Deuteronomy and Numbers): “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Why would Jesus tack “love of neighbor” onto the end of the Shema? Is it because the Shema’s exalted focus on God necessarily excludes us, as mere mortals? Not really. For an undeniable moral mindset flows implicitly from the Shema: Our “right relationship” with each other is spelled out in the very act of centering our lives wholeheartedly on God. Consider: We don’t exalt and worship God for God’s sake—God’s greatness doesn’t depend on us. We exalt and worship God to be reminded, repeatedly, that God is God and we are not. Jesus reminds us that we are not the center of the universe—and that love of neighbor springs largely from that realization.

Authors Mary Lynn Hendrickson

great commandment shema love of neighbor

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