Take it as more than literal

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are some which if interpreted literally would cause us all to realize how we fall short in many areas in living the Great Commandment. The Friar Jude Winkler advises readers of the passages today that they were not written by an American but by people of the Middle East who write and exaggerate descriptions for emphasis. The example of the Thessalonians in living in the power of the Holy Spirit was a powerful example to many but not the "whole world". The text from Exodus is part of the section of that has a huge number of laws concerning conduct within the Jewish community. Fr Larry Gillick SJ suggests that many of us in legalistic North America might actually prefer to revive the long list of laws and then know exactly what God wants us to do. The Gospel of Matthew details the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees and the Sadducees to determine which is the greatest commandment. Jesus response states the foundation of the focus of love for Judeao-Christian believers. The power of God in our lives as expressed by the witness of the Thessalonians "Life in the Spirit" and praise of the psalmist for the God as rock, fortress and deliver is not based in the security of keeping rules but it is in the trust and faith of Abraham and Mary that our relationship with the Divine is transcendent of human experience and calls us to intimacy with the Divine.