The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire thanksgiving for the gift of the Spirit and suggest contemplation of the role of Commandments to keep us on the straight and narrow in our spiritual development.
Commandments to guide
The reading from the Book of Exodus is on the topic of social laws reminding us that we should not wrong or oppress a resident alien.
You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien1
Psalm 18 is a royal thanksgiving for victory.
* [Psalm 18] A royal thanksgiving for a military victory, duplicated in 2 Sm 22. Thanksgiving Psalms are in essence reports of divine rescue. The Psalm has two parallel reports of rescue, the first told from a heavenly perspective (Ps 18:5–20), and the second from an earthly perspective (Ps 18:36–46).2
The reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians recognizes the growth of the community in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
* [1:6] Imitators: the Pauline theme of “imitation” (see 1 Thes 2:14; 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1; 2 Thes 3:9) is rooted in Paul’s view of solidarity in Christ through sharing in Jesus’ cross and in the Spirit of the risen Lord.3
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus answers a question about the Greatest Commandment.
* [22:39] Jesus goes beyond the extent of the question put to him and joins to the greatest and the first commandment a second, that of love of neighbor, Lv 19:18; see note on Mt 19:18–19. This combination of the two commandments may already have been made in Judaism.4
Jack Mahoney SJ, Emeritus Professor of Moral and Social Theology in the University of London, looks at the 'commandments' that Jesus gave to his disciples. He notes how Luke uses the Parable of the Good Samaritan to address the question of “who is my neighbour?” Pope Francis has chosen this parable as a cornerstone of his third encyclical “Fratelli tutti.”
a question had arisen among the Jews and was now put to Jesus: was there any priority among them, and if so, which commandment was ‘the first of all’, as Mark phrases it (12:28), or ‘the greatest’, according to Matthew (22:34)? In his reply Jesus had no doubt: moving outside the Ten Commandments, he replied that ‘the greatest and first commandment’ was to love God totally (Mk 12:30; Mt 22:37-38; see Deut 6:5). And then, according to Mark, he added for good measure, as was usual with him, ‘The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”’ (Mk 12:31), which Matthew records as, ‘A second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”’ (Mt 22:39). This Jewish question about a priority among the commandments in the Mosaic Law is characteristically omitted by Luke, who was writing more for Roman gentiles... Luke, alone among the evangelists, then introduces the famous parable of the Good Samaritan as Jesus’s memorable reply to the lawyer’s next question: ‘But who is my neighbour?’ (Lk 10:28-37).5
Larry Hopp comments that even in difficult times, following Jesus’ example of focusing on others will produce positive results. Of course this serves as an effective model for all believers. Allowing our faith in God to keep us focused on others will allow us to make a profound impact for God.
Jesus put an exclamation on this thread in the Gospel found in Matthew. While He responded to the Pharisees’ question that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, Jesus went on to emphasize the second commandment that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. He also noted that “the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” All those in each of our lives represent the “neighbors” that Jesus was talking about. The simple truth is that we have a holy obligation to respond with love and compassion to those God has placed in our lives.6
Don Schwager quotes “Loving God with heart, mind, and soul,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"Worthy is he, confirmed in all his gifts, who exults in the wisdom of God, having a heart full of the love of God, and a soul completely enlightened by the lamp of knowledge and a mind filled with the word of God. It follows then that all such gifts truly come from God. He would understand that all the law and the prophets are in some way a part of the wisdom and knowledge of God. He would understand that all the law and the prophets depend upon and adhere to the principle of the love of the Lord God and of neighbor and that the perfection of piety consists in love." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13)7
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 22:34-40 notes we can all point to times when we have overlooked opportunities to love, even when they are staring us in the face. Why would that be? Part of the reason is that we may have a narrow definition of Jesus’ command to love.
We might tend to reduce loving God to attending Mass or getting our prayer times in—walled-off situations that are limited in time and not very demanding. As for loving our neighbor, we can fall into the trap of deciding for ourselves who our “neighbor” is. Maybe he’s our husband but not the coworker who rubs us the wrong way. Maybe she’s our sister but not the in-law who is always offering her advice, whether we want it or not.8
Friar Jude Winkler finds compassion in the laws cited in Exodus and a reminder to combat the xenophobic attacks too common in our society today. Paul and Jesus often exhibit the Jewish exaggeration typical of their time. Friar Jude is thankful for the guideposts of the Commandments as we learn to love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers a basic overview of the stages of spiritual development that he has used for years with spiritual directees and in teaching settings. This evolution may lead to the peace the world cannot give.
I’m “just me,” warts and all. It is enough to be human without any window dressing. We are now fully detached from our own self-image and living in God’s image of us—which includes and loves both the good and the bad. We experience true serenity and freedom, but it is quite ordinary and also quite sufficient. This is the peace the world cannot give (see John 14:27) and full resting in God. “To know oneself in God and to know God in oneself,” as both Julian of Norwich and Teresa of Ávila put it.9
The gift of the Spirit nudges us to live with compassion and love for others through which we will experience peace.
References
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