THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ex Exodus 22:20-26

God’s covenant with his people is at the centre of the life of Israel and people must remain faithful to the commitment implied and demanded by that covenant. In the book of Exodus, there is a reference to Moses reading the Book of the Covenant to the people (Ex 24:7). The Covenant Code (Ex 20:22 - 23:33), that is, the Laws that have their basis on the Covenant put forward in an explicit form the demands of the Covenant. At its foundation are the ten commandments, which come from the Lord who set his people free: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Ex 20:2). The ten commandments are an expression of the dignity of a free people, who reflect in their life the glory of God. After the Ten Commandments, the book of Exodus presents a series of laws that must shape society, that is the norms and rules which are to be followed by the people of God. Most of those laws are similar to the laws followed by neighbouring nations. However, in Israel, those laws are founded on the covenant between God and his people and always take into account human dignity, since we are made in the image of God.

In this Sunday liturgy, the first reading comes from the book of Exodus and stresses our social responsibilities, pointing out the specific cases of the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the poor who has to borrow money. The stranger must be respected. And the people of Israel are called upon to remember that once, as strangers in Egypt, they were held in captivity. Thus they are called upon to behave differently: “You must not molest the stranger or oppress him”. With so many immigrants in our midst, we should examine ourselves and the way we deal with them.

The orphan and the widow always deserve special consideration and protection. Since they lost the ones who gave them support and protection, they must be looked after with care by the other members of the community.

And there is a warning for the money lenders who tend to be usurers. If a poor man borrows money from them, they cannot demand interest or even a pledge from him. For the poor, it is a question of survival and we are called upon to lighten their burden of poverty.

This Sunday’s gospel gives us the true foundation of our social responsibility. Answering the question about the greatest commandment of the Law, Jesus said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.” (Mt 22:34-40). The love of God will lead us to love our neighbour, paying attention mainly to those who are in a situation of suffering.