Homily of Thirty-First Sunday inOrdinary Time Year B, 2021
Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Psalm18:2-4, 47, 51; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 12:28-34
The Book Deuteronomycontains laws and exhortations Moses gave to the Israelites that would guidethem when they arrive to the Promised Land, “a land flowing with milk andhoney.” Today’s first reading contains the central statement of belief of theJewish people known as Shema Israel.“Hear, O Israel! The Lordis ourGod, the Lordalone!Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God,with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength”(Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Moses went further to instruct, “Keep repeating them toyour children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when youlie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
At the time of Jesus, someteachers and interpreters of the law emphasized thatthe more burntofferings and sacrifices the people offered, and the more tithes the peoplepaid, the closer they were to God.The scribe, an interpreter of the law,most likely, wanted to know Jesus’ opinion. Jesus replied by quoting the ShemaIsrael, and added Leviticus 19:19,“You shall love your neighbor asyourself.” The amazed scribe acknowledged that to love God and to love one’s neighboras oneself are “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” We recallthat Jesus, in Luke 11:12, condemned the Pharisees, “Woe to you Pharisees,because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all kinds of garden herbs,but you neglect justice and love of God.” Even now, does Jesus not condemnprosperity preachers whose priority is on their congregation’s paying of tithesover and above love of God and love of neighbor?
Love of God and love ofneighbor are like two hinges of a door. One of the hinges is love of God, andthe other hinge is love of neighbor. If any of the hinges is absent, the doorseizes to function. 1 John 4:19-21 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ buthates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom hehas seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we havefrom him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
At creation, God said, “Letus create man in our image, in the likeness of ourselves…” (Genesis 1:26). We sharein God’s divine nature. Therefore, we have done to God what we have done toothers because each of us is God’s image. In Matthew 25:40 Jesus teaches, “Intruth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of thesebrothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” In Acts 9:4-5, Jesus askedSaul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul asked Jesus, “Who are youLord?” Jesus replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Jesus did not askSaul why he was persecuting the Christians, but “Why are you persecuting me?”
Love of neighbor is soimportant in our relationship with God that St. Peter writes, “Above all, letyour love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins”(1 Peter 4:8). In the same understanding 1 John 3:14 says, “We are aware thatwe have passed over from death to life because we love our brother.”
A chaplain wrote about anincident which took place in a prayer-discussion group in the prison where heministered. “It was a windy evening … There was little heat in the room. Aninmate … having come in a T-shirt and trousers, was shivering. Another inmatehad come with his shoulders wrapped up in two blankets. Then, while they werediscussing the idea of helping each other, the inmate that had two blanketssuddenly got up, walked to the other inmate, and put one of his blankets aroundhim.” This incident reminds us of John the Baptist’s advice to thecrowd,“Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none.And whoever has food should do likewise” (Luke 3:11). James also writes, “If abrother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,and oneof you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do notgive them the necessities of the body, what good is it?So also faith ofitself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:15-17). In this context,love of God is faith; good works is love of neighbor.
Pope Francis writes in hisencyclical letter,The Light of Christ, “Anyone who sets off on the path ofdoing good to others is already drawing near to God, is already sustained byhis help, for it is characteristic of the divine light to brighten our eyeswhenever we walk towards the fullness of love” (No. 35).
We are invited andchallenged, especially during these difficult times, to go and express our loveof God by sharing with the needy our extra ‘blankets’ and extra ‘tunics.’Refusal of the invitation and challenge means that the claim to love God isfalse.
Fr. Martin Eke, MSP
