31 Sunday of OT | Deut 6:2-6; Mark 12:28-34
Imagine for a moment that a mother is dropping off her child for their first day at a new school. The mother and her child are close by one another speaking. The mother is giving her child some last minute advice for how the child should behave in the new school they are entering for the first time. What advice do you think that the mother would give the child in this situation?
In the first reading, Moses is in much the same situation as this mother as he is giving the people of Israel some important final instructions before they enter the land God promised them. The context of the book of Deuteronomy, from which today’s first reading is taken, is interesting. The last four books of the Pentateuch - Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy - all cover the span of Moses life. These books tell the story of how God liberated the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land. The entire book of Deuteronomy occurs on one day: the final day of Moses’ life. On this day, Moses and the people of Israel are gathered on the plains of Moab, on the verge of entering the promised land. Deuteronomy is composed largely the last words of Moses to Israel. Just as the mother will not enter the new school with her child, Moses will not enter the land with Israel. Like the mother, Moses is giving final instructions to Israel about how they should best live in the new land land that they will soon enter.
Moses’ most important advice, which we find in the first reading, is that the people love God in a wholehearted fashion. The passage from Deuteronomy 6:4 onwards is often called the “schema”, which is the Hebrew imperative “listen!”, which begins Moses’ exhortation. Just as it was at the time of Jesus, the schema is a fundamental prayer for the Jewish people today. In fact, we find the schema on the lips of Jesus in the Gospel today. In one beautiful custom, Jewish people will place a copy of the schema in an object called a mezuzah and fix the mezuzah to their doorposts. This practice serves as a powerful reminder to those passing through the door about how they should live in whatever room or building that they are entering. The schema has a simple yet profound logic. There is only one God. God is meant to be loved. If there were many gods, then we would be bound to love each of these gods with a divided heart. There is, however, only one God. For this reason, we need to love God with all our hearts, souls and mind. This is an important reminder for us. We can easily give our love to other “gods” in our lives like money or reputation. As a result, our focus from God is divided. The schema challenges us to be honest about the different false gods we love. It is a reminder to redirect our hearts back to God.
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| A mezuzah (source) |
In the Gospel, Jesus specifies that loving God necessitates loving our neighbour. Jesus, when asked by a scribe “which is the greatest of the commandments”, bends the question a bit. He does not just give one commandment. First, he responds with the schema. Jesus then adds another commandment, this time from Leviticus (19:18), which has the effect of clarifying what it means to love God wholeheartedly: love your neighbour as yourself. As is often mentioned, this command to love your neighbour implicitly contains a third commandment: you need to love yourself. Here, we are not talking about self absorption or inordinate pride. We need to recognize that we are good. We have been created by God and God does not make junk! If we don’t love ourselves, it is hard to love others. Often, people who treat others badly, do so out of a deep self-loathing. Jesus’ response regarding what is the greatest commandment is an expression of the practical significance of the incarnation. In Jesus, we believe that God has become a human being, thereby linking God and humanity forever. If we really believe this, then loving God means loving those around us. If we do not, we cannot claim to love God.
What advice did you think that the mother would say to the child who is about to enter a new school? Perhaps you answered with some form of the commandments found in today’s readings: 1) love God; 2) have a proper love for yourself; and 3) love your neighbour. This is not just great advice for a child, but for each one of us. After Israel heard Moses' instructions at the threshold of the promised land, they had a choice: they could follow his advice or not. Jesus has told us what it takes to live in the kingdom of God. Let us choose to follow his advice!
