HOMILY OF 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (LOVE) — YEAR B
HOMILY OF 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (LOVE) — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: VERTICAL COMES FIRST
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Deut. 6:2-6, Heb. 7:23-28, Mk. 12:28-34
The Gospel this Sunday about the greatest commandment of love. A scribe asked Jesus: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus quickly answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Then he immediately adds the commandment from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
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Love is the most central core of the Gospel, for this is the essence of God. As the Apostle John wrote, the only way to know God is to love: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1Jn 4:8). And in His teaching, Jesus makes it very clear that the first and most important commandment is love of God. Love of neighbor comes second only. This is a very important point to consider.
Nowadays, there is a flagrant attempt by secular societies to relegate God to the side. Pope Benedict XVI made this observation: “The crisis we are living through carries with it signs of the exclusion of God from people’s lives, a general indifference to the Christian faith, and even the intention of marginalizing it from public life.” (May 30, 2011).
Christian life can be illustrated by the image of the cross. The cross has vertical and horizontal beams. But for it to stand, the vertical beam has first to be put in place. Only then can the horizontal beam be attached to it. The vertical beam can stand on itself without the horizontal beam, but the cross is not complete. On the other hand, without the vertical beam, the horizontal beam will just be a piece of lumber on the ground.
The same is true with every Christian. The two dimensions must be present in order to have a complete and meaningful Christian life. The vertical dimension is the love of God, and the horizontal dimension is the love of neighbor. But which comes first? As Jesus clearly points out, the vertical dimension must come first. The love of God is most important – “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”
But, though important, this alone is not enough. To have a complete image of the cross, the horizontal dimension is necessary. Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). And the Apostle John gives a strong admonition: “If anyone says, ‘I love God’, but hates his brother, he is a liar; whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1Jn 4:20). St. James also asserts that a faith without good works is lifeless (Jas 2:14).
However, love of neighbor should be rooted in love of God. The horizontal beam is useless and meaningless without the vertical. In other words, it is not possible to love our fellowmen if we do not have the love of God. This is unfortunately the mistake of many modern secular societies. People engage in various charitable works for the sick and the poor, relief and rehabilitation programs for victims of calamities. They form organizations and foundations to alleviate poverty and injustice – but without God in their agenda! What a waste! No matter how noble these undertakings are, these eventually will end up in failure or fruitlessness. As the Psalmist tells us, “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, in vain does the guard keep watch” (Ps 127:1). And Jesus declares: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).
Without God we can do nothing, we are nothing. Hence, we cannot rely solely on human power and products. In these difficult times, we must turn to the Lord. He alone is our sure refuge and strength. And the only way to stay connected with God is love. St. Anthony Mary Claret expresses this beautifully in the following words:
“Love is the most necessary of all virtues. Love in the person who preaches the word of God is like fire in a musket. If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands, he would hardly make a dent in anything; but if the person takes the same bullet and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill. It is much the same with the word of God. If it is spoken by someone who is filled with the fire of charity – the fire of love of God and neighbor – it will work wonders.”
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