The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our connection to care for our community and act in accord with the great commandments of love.
In the reading from the Book of Ruth, Elimelech’s family goes to Moab and Naomi plans to return with her Moabite Daughter-in-Law.
* [1:16–17] Ruth’s adherence to her mother-in-law in 1:14 is now expressed in a profound oath of loyalty, culminating in a formulary found frequently in Samuel and Kings; cf. especially 1 Sm 20:13. Even death: burial in Naomi’s family tomb means that not even death will separate them. (Ruth, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Psalm 146 offers Praise for God’s Help.
* [Psalm 146] A hymn of someone who has learned there is no other source of strength except the merciful God. Only God, not mortal human beings (Ps 146:3–4), can help vulnerable and oppressed people (Ps 146:5–9). The first of the five hymns that conclude the Psalter. (Psalms, PSALM 146, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares the Greatest Commandment.
* [22:34–40] The Marcan parallel (Mk 12:28–34) is an exchange between Jesus and a scribe who is impressed by the way in which Jesus has conducted himself in the previous controversy (Mk 12:28), who compliments him for the answer he gives him (Mk 12:32), and who is said by Jesus to be “not far from the kingdom of God” (Mk 12:34). Matthew has sharpened that scene. The questioner, as the representative of other Pharisees, tests Jesus by his question (Mt 22:34–35), and both his reaction to Jesus’ reply and Jesus’ commendation of him are lacking.
* [22:35] [A scholar of the law]: meaning “scribe.” Although this reading is supported by the vast majority of textual witnesses, it is the only time that the Greek word so translated occurs in Matthew. It is relatively frequent in Luke, and there is reason to think that it may have been added here by a copyist since it occurs in the Lucan parallel (Lk 10:25–28). Tested: see note on Mt 19:3.
* [22:36] For the devout Jew all the commandments were to be kept with equal care, but there is evidence of preoccupation in Jewish sources with the question put to Jesus.
* [22:37–38] Cf. Dt 6:5. Matthew omits the first part of Mark’s fuller quotation (Mk 12:29; Dt 6:4–5), probably because he considered its monotheistic emphasis needless for his church. The love of God must engage the total person (heart, soul, mind).
* [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.
* [22:40] The double commandment is the source from which the whole law and the prophets are derived. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22, n.d.)
Maureen McCann Waldron comments that for religious leaders who like to separate and elevate themselves from their neighbors, telling them to love the people instead would probably have been way outside their comfort zones. Jesus is teaching that the law is not the top priority – love is. Love God. Love others. How would their lives have to change to do as Jesus instructed? What they know is the law. From all appearances, they are less comfortable with loving.
It’s an invitation to follow Jesus in loving and to continue that journey beyond the place in our lives where we are relaxed and at home. It’s not always about moving to another land, as Ruth did, or even to a new job. We are asked to love those in our lives who almost seem like foreigners: the most annoying relative or the abrasive co-worker. We can stop avoiding the person whose politics make us so uncomfortable. And as we pray to love God more deeply, we can ask for the help to love and forgive the person who has hurt us profoundly.
Loving God, give me the courage and passion to follow you and love beyond my limits. Help me to find a home in serving others and to stop seeing the ‘foreign’ boundaries between myself and others in my life. (McCann, 2023)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22 comments that we can see in Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi a reflection of God’s faithfulness to us. Through the blood of Christ, our heavenly Father has joined himself to us in an eternal covenant. He pledges to follow us into whatever “land” we wander into. He will stay with us even when, like Naomi, we feel as if our lives are falling apart. He will never give up on us, not even if we give up on ourselves—and not even if we give up on him (2 Timothy 2:13)! Every day he assures us, “Wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge” (Ruth 1:16).
Tomorrow’s first reading describes how deeply blessed Naomi was because she let Ruth care for her. But for today, keep your focus on trusting God’s faithfulness even when you can’t see a way through a challenging situation. Tell him that you want to be just as faithful to him as he is to you. Lean on him, just as Naomi leaned on Ruth, and you’ll know his peace and his protection.
“Lord, I believe that you are a faithful God. Help me to be faithful to you as well.” (Meditation on Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the story of Naomi who fled to Moab where Israelites are hated and her husband and two sons died. Ruth, a generous woman, accompanies Naomi in return to Bethlehem and becomes one of David’s ancestors. Friar Jude reminds the Greatest Commandment includes service of God and the children of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces priest and teacher Barbara Brown Taylor who considers what “penance” means, not as punishment, but as transformative, healing action. Taylor notes how criminal justice systems can be transformed by asking how harm can be repaired.
Some people in the criminal justice system are beginning to consider this more theological approach to corrections. In the fall of 1999, over 250 church leaders, criminal justice employees, politicians, and service providers gathered … in Washington, D.C. for the first national conference on restorative justice. Criminal justice traditionally asks, “Who did it? What law did he break? How are we going to punish him?” Restorative justice asks, “What harm was done? What is needed to repair the harm? Who is responsible for repairing it?”
Penance is the acceptance of responsibility for repair, and it is one of the most healing things a repentant sinner can do, as well as one of the most painful.… True repentance … promises us reunion with God and one another. It promises us restoration to community, and to all the responsibilities that go along with life in relationship. (Rohr, 2023)
We are reassured by Jesus that the ancient commitment to love and care for others as a response to the love of God continues to be the Way of full life.
References
Matthew, CHAPTER 22. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?
McCann, M. (2023, August 25). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/082523.html
Meditation on Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/08/25/766842/
Psalms, PSALM 146. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/146?5
Rohr, R. (2023, August 25). Repairing Relationships — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/repairing-relationships-2023-08-25/
Ruth, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ruth/1?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). What Is the Greatest Rule of Life? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=aug25
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