IF THEY CRY TO ME, I WILL LISTEN

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 22:34-40

Common people considered Jesus a prophet. They were impressed by his word and by his deeds. He showed wisdom and authority, and he was fearless, daring to challenge the leaders of the people, causing the main religious groups to feel threatened. The Sadducees tried to embarrass him with a question about the resurrection but left humiliated by his answer. Then, the Pharisees tried their luck with a question about the commandments. Indeed, the Pharisees were strict in their keeping of the law, even in the smallest details.  So, they wanted to test his knowledge of the law, and they concentrated on what may be considered its core. They asked, “Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Jesus’ answer was clear and straightforward:

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.

Love is the summary of all the law and all the prophets. And, according to the Law, love is not sweet words but a commitment to God and to his people. The love of God implies recognising Him as the centre and the foundation of my life. Everything comes from him and must lead us to Him, and nothing can take his place, much less usurp his rights. This love of God directs my gaze and my heart towards my neighbour, obliging me to pay attention to his needs and his suffering.

The first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, mentions those in need of compassion and fairness: the stranger, the widow and the orphan, the borrower and the one who has pledged what he needs to survive. And the warning is clear: If they cry to me, “I will listen, for I am full of pity.” (Ex 22:20-26).

Nowadays, the welfare state takes care of most of those cases, and this may induce us to relax and to ignore the suffering of so many whom we encounter in our daily life. There are two parables that we should always remember: the parable of Lazarus and the rich man and the parable of the Good Samaritan. With God, we must learn mercy and compassion.