Walking with Jesus: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 12:28-34

How far do I feel that I am from the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus told the scribe in today’s Gospel that he wasn’t far from the Kingdom of Heaven. When asked what I think He would say to me, I get nervous. I feel I’m doing well but as Paul writes in Romans 7:15-19, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. … For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” So It seems that I’m on a different path than the scribe in the Gospel, but actually I’m on the same path ... just putting the question in a different way. The scribe wants to know which of all the commandments is the most important. Jesus probably does a “double take” here since many of the other religious leaders see Him as a threat and this man sees an opportunity to learn from the best. So he asks a question so many, myself included, have buried deep in our spiritual hearts. This scribe wants to learn a simple principle that is at the bottom of all of God’s laws. What commandment would give meaning to all the other smaller rules and regulations? Is there a key that can unlock the mystery of our lives and lead us daily to the Lord?

It seems a critical part of humanity that we just don’t like to be told what to do. So when Jesus is telling us to love God and our neighbors, it is not just a rule or duty ... it is the key to our, your and my relationship with God that begins with baptism and continues to grow each day of our lives. God is with us on our journey, never leaving us alone. Each day He is responding every moment that we turn to Him and share His love with the needy around us.

Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, began as a pagan holiday honoring the dead. The ancient Druid thought behind it was that it allowed the souls of the dead to come back to earth and walk among the living. In later centuries the English called it All Hallows Eve, denoting November 1, the night before All Saints Day. This was a celebration of the holy men and women who are recognized by the Catholic Church as residing in heaven. The feast goes back to the Eighth Century when Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica of All Saints. It’s a time that we look at the holy people in our lives who have taught us love and how to live in love, which is exactly what the scribe is asking in today’s Gospel. The other readings give us more insight.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is impressing upon the people how crucial it is for them to remain faithful to God for all He has done and continues to do for them. If they are faithful they will experience God’s continued care. If they resort to pagan idolatry, replacing God with other images and practices, they will lose what matters, the Promised Land, “flowing with milk and honey.” The Law of Moses makes perfectly clear what is expected of them for God to protect them and bless them. The Israelites have every incentive to realize the importance of loving God by loving others and not replacing God in their hearts and lives. They are tested and continually fail. The original mass of people freed from Egypt will never see the Promised Land because of their unfaithfulness in abandoning the God who has loved them continually.

The book of Hebrews enlarges the identity of Jesus as the High Priest, replacing the older system of high priests. He does this by offering the one, perfect sacrifice of Himself. On the cross, He has offered Himself once for all for the salvation of all people for all time. Do I realize the large numbers of people and the absolute total giving of Jesus demonstrating the total love of God who says, “I will be your God, you will be My people?” Am I responding or refusing to respond? Our future lives are reckoned accordingly.

Jesus is explaining the underlying truth of God’s law: If it is followed because of fear or punishment, then there will be no change of heart in the people. Those who love God must do so with all their heart, soul and mind. We cannot give God just a little bit. All of our love is required because God has given all of His love. Jesus has given all of His love. Our lives hinge on the word love. Jesus expands it, insisting that one’s love of God must also include one’s neighbor. There is no exclusivity allowed; only inclusitivity. Sunday Homily Helps expresses it well: “Love of God, by definition, must be somewhat abstract, given the divine nature. Love of neighbor is tangible, messy, and difficult because the 'other' unlike God — can easily be deemed unworthy of our love.”

So I reflect on:

• Does the title “Lordship of God” have a bad connotation to me? Do I prefer God as one who keeps me out of trouble and holds me up? Do I want to follow my feelings, or God’s love?
• What would it be like to imagine a person whose faith is empty … who has no one to turn to when in need … who doesn’t care about the person as loved and special?
  

Sacred Space 2021 states:

“The first commandment is to love God with all we have — not only with our hearts, but with all our limbs. We need to be embracing the Almighty in all we do. We are called to give Him total love in a spirit of adoration.

“There are two commandments, even if they merge together. We have to love the neighbor (all humankind) as being part of ourselves. Especially their sufferings need to impinge on us. Our love should be not only for those who please us but also for those we don’t like and who may be hostile to us.

“The most important thing in life is to have a loving heart, which is very demanding.”