Love God, Love Your Neighbour: The Greatest Commandment and the Fourth Wise Man

 30 Sunday OT, year A

When Jesus is asked to identify the greatest commandment, he responds by connecting our love for God with our love for our neighbour. Drawing on the ancient Jewish prayer known as the Shema and the moving story of Artaban, the fourth wise man, we discover that serving others is one of the most important ways we encounter and love God. Jesus also reminds us of the importance of loving ourselves, revealing that the Christian life ultimately rests on one simple but demanding principle: love.

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I think we're all familiar with the expression, "Less is more." It's an expression that reminds us that simplicity is often something beautiful. If we can communicate something more briefly, that's often a good thing. In today's Gospel, however, Jesus is asked a question, and his answer doesn't seem to follow this principle that less is more. In fact, Jesus needs to expand his answer. He's approached by a lawyer who asks him, "Which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Notice that the question is singular. He's asking Jesus to identify just one commandment. Jesus, however, responds by giving two commandments. And as we'll see, we might even say that hidden within his answer is a third commandment. All three are connected by one central theme: love.

Jesus begins his answer by reaching back to the Old Testament, to the book of Deuteronomy. He responds that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This commandment comes from Deuteronomy chapter 6, from a passage that is often called the Shema. That name comes from the Hebrew word meaning "hear," the first word of this famous prayer: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one." This passage goes on to command the people of Israel to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. Jesus is reaching back to something absolutely central to the faith of the Jewish people.

In our Christian tradition, we have the Lord's Prayer, which many of us pray every day, perhaps even several times a day. In the Jewish tradition, the Shema holds a similarly important place. It is a prayer that observant Jewish people recite every day, traditionally in the morning and in the evening. It reminds them of this central commandment to love God above all else. In fact, if you've ever visited a Jewish home, you might have noticed a small object attached to the doorpost. It's called a mezuzah. Inside this small case is a scroll containing passages from the Torah, including Deuteronomy chapter 6. Every time someone enters or leaves the home, it's a reminder of their relationship with God and the commandment to love him. Jewish people also use objects called tefillin, sometimes called phylacteries, during prayer. You may have seen photographs of Jewish people praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, with small black boxes attached to their arms and foreheads. Inside these boxes are also passages from Scripture, including this great commandment from Deuteronomy. We can see, then, how deeply this commandment is rooted in Jewish life and prayer. God is the one we are called to love. God is the one we are called to serve.

Now, whenever we read a biblical passage, knowing something about its historical background can often help us appreciate its meaning more deeply. And there's something particularly interesting about this commandment in Deuteronomy. Many biblical scholars believe that important parts of Deuteronomy took shape during the seventh century before Christ, when the kingdom of Judah was living under the shadow of the Assyrian Empire. At that time, Assyria was the dominant power in the ancient Near East. Judah was, for a period, what we call a vassal state of Assyria. That meant the people of Judah could carry on much of their ordinary life, but they were ultimately subject to the Assyrian emperor. They had to pay tribute, obey certain demands, and demonstrate their loyalty. And if they refused, the Assyrian army could come and destroy them.

What's particularly interesting is that archaeologists have discovered some of the treaties that the Assyrians made with their subject peoples. In these treaties, we sometimes find language remarkably similar to what we encounter in Deuteronomy. The people who were subject to the Assyrian emperor were commanded to show "love" to their ruler. Now, love in this context didn't mean affection or friendship. It meant loyalty, obedience, and service. To love the Assyrian emperor meant that you were expected to give him your allegiance and obey his commands. Some scholars suggest that Deuteronomy is deliberately responding to this kind of imperial language. It's as though the biblical writers are saying, "No. Our ultimate love and allegiance do not belong to some earthly emperor. The one we are called to love and serve with all that we have is the Lord our God." It's a powerful statement about where our ultimate loyalty belongs.

When Jesus reaches back to this commandment in Deuteronomy, then, he's reminding us that God must be at the centre of our lives. God is the one we are called to love above all else, with our entire being, our heart, our soul, our mind, and our will. But Jesus doesn't stop there. He goes on to identify a second commandment, this time reaching back to the book of Leviticus: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Jesus connects these two commandments because they cannot really be separated. If we truly love God, then that love needs to be expressed in the way we treat other people. Our love for God must lead us to love our neighbour.

There's a beautiful story that I think expresses this principle particularly well. Some of you may have heard of it. It's called The Story of the Other Wise Man, written by Henry Van Dyke in 1895. I actually first learned about this story a couple of years ago when I was visiting the Anglican cathedral for a meeting. I noticed some information on the wall about a summer camp called Camp Artaban. It's an Anglican camp located on Gambier Island. I remember looking at the name and wondering, "Who's Artaban?" So I asked the Anglican priest about it, and he explained that the camp was named after the main character in this beautiful story about a fourth wise man.

We're all familiar, of course, with the traditional story of the three wise men who journeyed to Bethlehem to visit the newborn Jesus. In Van Dyke's story, however, there is another wise man named Artaban. Like the other wise men, Artaban sets out on a long journey because he wants to encounter the newborn King. He brings with him three precious jewels, a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl, which he hopes to offer as gifts to Jesus. But something keeps happening to Artaban along the way. He keeps getting distracted. As he travels, he encounters people who are poor, sick, or in desperate need of help. And whenever he encounters these individuals, he stops to help them. Sometimes this means that he falls behind on his journey. Sometimes it means giving away one of the precious treasures that he had intended to offer to Jesus. He keeps trying to reach the King, but he keeps encountering people who need his assistance.

Eventually, Artaban arrives in Bethlehem, but it's too late. Jesus and his family have already departed. Artaban continues searching for Jesus, but the same thing keeps happening. Along the way, he finds people who are suffering, and he stops to help them. Years pass, and Artaban continues his search. In fact, thirty-three years go by. By now, Artaban is an old man. He has spent almost his entire life trying to find Jesus, but he has never managed to meet him. And he has only one precious gift remaining, the pearl that he had intended to give to the newborn King all those years before.

One day, Artaban finds himself in Jerusalem. It's the time of Jesus' Passion. Jesus has been arrested, condemned, and is being led away to be crucified. Artaban realizes that this may be his final opportunity to encounter the King he has spent his whole life searching for. He makes his way through the city, hoping that perhaps he might finally meet Jesus and offer him that last precious pearl. But once again, something happens. Artaban encounters a young woman in desperate need. She is being taken away to be sold into slavery because of her father's debts. She pleads with Artaban to help her. And Artaban faces a difficult decision. He can continue on his way, finally meet Jesus, and offer him his precious gift. Or he can stop and help this young woman. Once again, Artaban chooses to help. He gives away his last pearl to secure her freedom.

At that moment, Artaban feels that he has failed. He has spent thirty-three years trying to meet Jesus, and now he has given away his final gift. He believes that he has missed his opportunity. As Jesus dies upon the cross, an earthquake shakes Jerusalem. Artaban is struck by a falling stone and lies dying. But then something extraordinary happens. He hears the voice of the Lord, who helps him understand that his journey has not been wasted. Artaban realizes that throughout those thirty-three years, whenever he helped someone who was poor, suffering, or in need, he was actually serving Jesus himself. All those moments that he thought were distractions from his mission were, in fact, the moments when he was encountering the King he had been searching for.

It's a beautiful story, and of course, it's expressing something that Jesus teaches us explicitly in Matthew chapter 25. In that chapter, Jesus explains that whatever we do for those who are hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned, or in need, we do for him. This is the great discovery that Artaban makes at the end of his life. He thought that serving others was distracting him from his search for Jesus. But in reality, serving others was the very way that he was encountering Jesus. And this is precisely the connection that Jesus makes in today's Gospel. We are called to love God above all else. But one of the most important ways that we show our love for God is by loving and serving our neighbour, especially those who are most in need.

Now, there's something else hidden within Jesus' answer that I think is important for us to recognize. Jesus is asked for one commandment, and he gives two. But we might even say that there's a third commandment hidden within his response. Jesus says that we are to love our neighbour as ourselves. St. Thomas Aquinas reflects beautifully on the relationship between love of self and love of neighbour. We are called to see our neighbour as someone who shares in our own humanity, someone whose good matters to us as our own good matters to us. We are called to recognize other people as our brothers and sisters and to care for them as we would want to be cared for ourselves. But implicit in all of this is something that we can sometimes overlook: we are also called to love ourselves.

And I think this is something we shouldn't take for granted. Sometimes we can be overly hard on ourselves. We might be very aware of our mistakes, our weaknesses, and the things that we haven't done well. Of course, humility is an important Christian virtue, and humility calls us to recognize our limitations and failings. But humility doesn't mean thinking that we're worthless or that there is nothing good within us. Quite the opposite. Humility means seeing ourselves truthfully, and part of that truth is recognizing that God has created us good. God doesn't create junk. Every one of us has gifts, blessings, and goodness within us. Every one of us has been created in the image and likeness of God. And we're called to recognize and appreciate those gifts, not out of pride, but out of gratitude to the God who has given them to us.

This is important because if we are unable to recognize our own goodness and dignity, it can become difficult to recognize and appreciate the goodness and dignity of others. Loving ourselves in a healthy Christian way isn't selfishness. It's recognizing that we are loved by God, that our lives are gifts, and that we are called to care for those gifts. And from that foundation, we're better able to extend that same love and care to the people around us.

So Jesus begins with a question that seems quite simple. He's asked to identify the one greatest commandment. But instead of giving just one commandment, he offers two, and perhaps we can even see three within his answer. We are called to love God above all else. We are called to love our neighbour, because loving our neighbour is one of the most important ways we show our love for God. And we are also called to love ourselves, recognizing the goodness and dignity that God has placed within each of us.

In the end, I think the message is actually quite simple. The Christian life is ultimately about love. Of course, putting this into practice isn't always easy. Loving God with our entire being, loving those around us, especially those who are difficult to love, and learning to love ourselves in a healthy way can be challenging. But the central principle is simple. And I'd like to leave you with a beautiful saying from St. Augustine, one of the great teachers of our Christian tradition. Pope Leo XIV, of course, is an Augustinian, someone who follows the spiritual tradition of St. Augustine. And Augustine has a wonderful way of summarizing what Jesus is teaching us in today's Gospel.

St. Augustine puts it this way: "Love, and do what you will."

It's a very short statement, but there's tremendous wisdom within it. Augustine isn't saying that we can simply do whatever we want. He's saying that if genuine love is at the centre of our lives, then that love will guide everything else that we do. If our hearts are truly directed toward loving God and loving our neighbour, then our actions will increasingly reflect that love. This is what Jesus is calling us to in today's Gospel. To love God above all else, to recognize him in the people around us, and to allow that love to shape the way we live. Because ultimately, the Christian life is about love. Love, and do what you will.

Render to Caesar, Give to God: What Jesus Teaches Us About Politics and Belonging

 29 Sunday OT

As elections take place around us, Jesus’ teaching about paying taxes to Caesar offers an important lesson about our responsibilities as Christians in society. We are called to participate in civic life, promote the common good, and care especially for those on the margins. But Jesus reminds us of an even deeper truth: we are made in the image of God, and our ultimate allegiance belongs to him.

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We have certainly noticed, around our neighbourhood, our city, and our province, that we are in the midst of elections. There are election signs everywhere, reminders about early voting, and discussions about who we should vote for. Many people have already cast their ballots. And during election season, different questions come to mind about how we, as Christians, should participate in the life of our cities, our province, and our society as a whole. Sometimes it seems that the Gospel is perfectly selected for the moment in which we are living. And today is certainly one of those occasions. In today's Gospel, Jesus is drawn into a very political discussion. And through his response, he teaches us some incredibly important principles about our relationship with government, our participation in society, and, ultimately, our relationship with God.

In the Gospel, Jesus is approached by some individuals who are trying to trap him. They want to put him in what we might call a double bind, a lose-lose situation. They think they have Jesus caught in a trap from which he cannot escape. Let me explain. They ask Jesus a very particular question: Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not? They believe that, no matter how Jesus answers, he will get into trouble. On the one hand, if Jesus says that people should not pay taxes to Caesar, the Romans will eventually hear about it. And although the Romans tolerated many things, they certainly did not tolerate unrest or challenges to their authority. If they heard that Jesus was encouraging people not to pay taxes, he could quickly find himself arrested. On the other hand, if Jesus simply tells the people that they must pay their taxes, many in the Jewish community will be upset with him. For them, paying taxes was a painful reminder that they were living under Roman rule, that their land was occupied by a foreign power. So those questioning Jesus think they have placed him in the perfect trap. Whatever he says, he will upset somebody.

But Jesus manages to escape this trap, and in doing so, he teaches an incredibly important lesson. First, Jesus calls them hypocrites. He recognizes that they are not sincerely looking for an answer. They are simply trying to get him into trouble. Then Jesus asks them to show him the coin used to pay the tax. One of those questioning Jesus produces a coin. And this is already quite revealing. The fact that they have this coin shows that they are already participating in the Roman economic system. They are using Roman money and are probably already paying taxes themselves. Jesus then asks another question: Whose image is on the coin? The coin is a denarius, and like many coins today, it bears the image of the ruler. We have coins with the image of King Charles, and many of us still have coins with Queen Elizabeth on them. At the time of Jesus, the denarius bore the image of the Roman emperor. And so Jesus gives his famous response: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.

This response has been incredibly important throughout Christian history because it reminds us that we have responsibilities within civil society. As Christians, we are not called to separate ourselves completely from the world around us. Certainly, some people, such as monks and other religious, have a special vocation that involves a certain separation from the ordinary activities of society. But even they are not disconnected from the world. They pray for the world and serve it in their own way. Jesus, after all, loves the world. He loves humanity. And he calls us to be part of this world, to be different, certainly, but to be a kind of leaven, a yeast that helps transform the world from within. We are called to participate in society and work for the common good.

In fact, in the Catholic Church, we have an entire body of teaching called Catholic social teaching, which helps guide us in how we should participate in society. It reminds us that we are called to promote the common good, to care for those who are marginalized, and to work so that everyone has what they need to live a dignified life. In a particular way, we are always called to look out for those on the margins, those who can so easily be forgotten or left behind. Our faith is not simply something private, something that concerns only our relationship with God. Our faith should influence how we live in the world and how we seek to build up our communities. We are called to participate in civic life and to help create a society that reflects the values of the Gospel, especially the values of the Beatitudes.

But Jesus takes his teaching one step further. He says, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." And this raises a very important question: What exactly belongs to God? Remember that Jesus has just asked whose image is stamped on the coin. The coin bears the image of Caesar. But here Jesus is also inviting us to think back to the very beginning of the Bible, to Genesis chapter one. In Genesis, we hear that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. And so Jesus is using a very powerful image. The coin is stamped with the image of Caesar. But we, as human beings, are stamped with the image of Almighty God. And because we bear God's image, we belong to God.

This is such an important distinction. Certainly, we have responsibilities to our government. We should pay our taxes, participate in civic life, and seek to build a better society. But we must never forget that our ultimate allegiance belongs to God. We are God's children. We are part of God's family. Ultimately, we do not belong to any particular political party, government, or other human institution. We belong to Jesus Christ. Our whole lives belong to God. And so, when we seek to build a better world, we should always be asking ourselves what kind of world God wants us to build. What kind of people does God want us to become? How can our society better reflect the love, justice, and mercy of God? Our allegiance is not ultimately to Caesar, as it was in the time of Jesus, or to any of the political powers that might seek our loyalty today. Our ultimate allegiance is to God.

And I think this brings us to the central question of today's Gospel: To whom do we belong? It is a very important question because, if we give our ultimate allegiance to human institutions or political movements, there is always the danger that we can be used or manipulated. We can lose sight of what is truly important. But when we recognize that we belong to God, everything changes. We remember that we belong to a God who is love, a God who cares for us as a loving Father, a God who always wants what is best for us. And this is ultimately a very hopeful message. In the midst of elections, political disagreements, and all the divisions that can exist in our society, we remember that we belong first and foremost to God. He is our Father, he cares for us, and everything we do should ultimately be directed toward building up his Kingdom in our world.

Recharge Your Spiritual Batteries: The Power of Gratitude

 28 Sunday of OT

Thanksgiving offers us an opportunity to recharge not only our physical batteries but also our spiritual ones. Through the readings of Scripture, we discover that God's blessings remain present even during times of difficulty, and that gratitude helps us recognize and receive these gifts. By appreciating what God has given us and sharing those gifts with others, we can experience something of the joy of heaven in our lives today.

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Have you ever had the experience of getting into your car, turning the key, and discovering that the battery is dead? It's a terrible feeling, especially when you're in a hurry. This happened to me once when I was waiting in line to board a ferry. When it was time to move forward, I tried to start my car, but nothing happened. The battery was dead, and there were all these people waiting behind me! I had let the battery run down. It was getting old, and eventually I had to replace it.

Of course, running down our batteries is something that can happen to us as well, both physically and spiritually. In a way, the Thanksgiving long weekend offers us an opportunity to recharge our batteries. The days are getting shorter and darker. Work and school might be starting to feel a little heavy. Perhaps we need some extra rest. But the readings today also teach us something important about how we can recharge our spiritual batteries so that we can continue facing life with hope, confidence, and joy.

One of the ways we recharge our spiritual batteries is by recognizing and giving thanks to God for the blessings we receive. This idea of God's goodness and abundance runs through all the readings today. Our God is a generous God who gives us many gifts. Even when times are difficult, when we experience struggles or darkness, God's goodness is still present in our lives, if we know where to look.

We see this in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah speaks to God's people during a time of difficulty and uncertainty, when they are facing threats and oppression. Yet, in the midst of these challenges, the prophet announces that God is preparing a magnificent feast for his people. God will provide an abundance of good things. Even in the midst of suffering and uncertainty, God has not abandoned his people. His blessings are still present, and he promises them a future filled with joy.

St. Paul expresses something similar in the second reading from his letter to the Philippians. When Paul writes this letter, he is actually in prison. He is experiencing real hardship. Yet, even in prison, Paul can recognize God's goodness and care for him. He explains that he has learned to live both in abundance and in need. Whatever his circumstances, he trusts that God will give him the strength he needs. All of us pass through difficult times. The readings do not tell us that suffering is easy or that we should ignore our problems. Rather, they encourage us to recognize that even in our struggles, God continues to bless us. His goodness is still there, even when it can be difficult to see.

The Gospel today is a challenging story. There are several ways we might interpret this parable, but I think one important lesson concerns our willingness to recognize and accept the blessings God gives us. Jesus tells the story of a king who prepares a magnificent wedding banquet for his son. The table is set, the food is prepared, and everything is ready. But there is a problem: nobody wants to come! The king sends out invitations, but the invited guests refuse. Some even respond with violence. Finally, the king sends his servants into the streets to invite anyone they can find. He wants people to come and enjoy the wonderful feast he has prepared.

Then we hear a rather strange detail. One of the guests arrives without a wedding garment. Even though this person has come to the banquet, he is somehow unprepared to participate fully in the celebration. Perhaps one way to understand this detail is that accepting God's gifts requires something of us. It is not enough simply to show up. We need to be open to receiving God's goodness and allowing it to shape the way we live.

Likewise, God has prepared a wonderful banquet for each of us. He gives us so many gifts: the gift of Jesus Christ, the grace we receive through the Church and our community, the talents and abilities we have, the people who love us, and the friends who care for us. God's blessings are all around us. But do we recognize them? Do we appreciate them? Do we really accept these gifts and allow them to bring us joy? And perhaps most importantly, do we share these good things with others?

The ending of the Gospel is quite stark. The man who comes without a wedding garment is cast out into the darkness. This is a challenging image, but it reminds us of the seriousness of accepting God's invitation. If we close ourselves off to God's goodness, if we cannot recognize the gifts that surround us or share them with others, we can begin to experience something of that darkness even in our lives today. We can miss the joy of the banquet that God has prepared for us.

There is a little story that illustrates this beautifully. Perhaps you've heard it before. It is a story about the difference between heaven and hell. Imagine a room filled with people sitting around a table. The table is covered with wonderful food, all kinds of delicious things. There is more than enough for everyone. But there is a problem. The people are only allowed to eat using chopsticks, and these chopsticks are extremely long. They can pick up the food, but the chopsticks are so long that they cannot bring the food to their own mouths. Everyone becomes frustrated and miserable. Although they are surrounded by abundance, they are starving. This is the image of hell.

Now imagine another room. The people are sitting around exactly the same table, with exactly the same wonderful food. They also have those incredibly long chopsticks. But there is one important difference. These people have discovered that although they cannot use the chopsticks to feed themselves, they can use them to feed one another. One person picks up some food and offers it to someone across the table. That person does the same for somebody else. Everyone is fed, everyone is satisfied, and everyone enjoys the wonderful banquet. This is the image of heaven.

I think this story helps us understand something important about the Gospel. God's goodness is already before us. The banquet has been prepared. The question is whether we recognize these gifts, accept them with gratitude, and share them generously with others. When we live with gratitude and generosity, we begin to experience something of heaven already, the joy of the banquet that Christ has prepared for us.

Now, to finish my story about the ferry, fortunately I did manage to get my car started. I had one of those little portable battery packs in the trunk, and I was able to jump-start the car and get moving again. Thankfully, I didn't hold up the ferry line for too long!

This Thanksgiving weekend, I think we have a wonderful opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries by being grateful for the blessings God has given us. And there is no better place to do that than here at Mass. The word Eucharist itself comes from a Greek word meaning thanksgiving. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we give thanks to God for his goodness and for everything he has done for us.

So I would encourage each of us to do something simple during this Mass. Think of two things in your life for which you are grateful. They might be people who love you, family members or friends who care for you. Perhaps you are grateful for your work or for the opportunity to serve others. It could even be something about yourself: a talent God has given you, an ability that helps you be a good friend, or something that allows you to make a difference in somebody else's life. Think of two things, whatever they might be, and take a moment to give thanks to God for them.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us recognize the goodness God has placed before us, receive his blessings with joy, and share them generously with others. In doing so, may we recharge our spiritual batteries and discover again the hope, confidence, and joy that come from living in gratitude.