First Reading: Deut 6:2-6
Second Reading: Heb 7:23-28
The hallmark of Christianity
is its project of love. The whole of Christianity is summarized in this four-letter
word: LOVE. All that the Christianity proclaims over the centuries and all that
is being asked of every Christian to practice at each era is nothing but love. This
love is the theme of this Sunday’s liturgy. In the first reading we have a
passage from the book of Deuteronomy, which includes the everyday prayer of Jews
which they recite three times a day. This particular section (Deut 6:4-6) is
called as Shema Israel! meaning Hear O Israel! Moses begins this
exhortation by telling the people of Israel that the Lord has charged him to communicate
a particular commandment which they ought to keep in the promised land so that
every generation may be well in the land of milk and honey (Deut 6:1-3). The commandment
that they ought to keep every day is to love the Lord God with all their
soul, mind, heart and strength (Deut 6:5). The following verses would tell
that they are expected to recite this phrase every day and teach others the
same wherever and whenever is feasible. Just like we recite The Angelus three
times a day, the Jews recite this prayer three times a day. The Angelus is not
the replacement of this Shema Israel prayer, rather a fulfilment of this
prayer. In the Angelus we are reciting the fulfilment of the love story of God.
The Incarnation of Christ – word becoming flesh – is the expression of God’s love
for humanity with all His soul, mind, heart and strength. Thus, we too recite
this Shema Israel prayer in a tangible form.
In the gospel reading, Jesus
presents this commandment as the greatest commandment coupled with Leviticus
19:18 which says, you shall love your neighbour as yourself. Loving God
and loving one’s neighbour are not two different things. They are stated in two
forms but together they make up one greatest commandment. When we love a person,
we do everything possible – at times even try to do the impossible – to keep
that person always close to us. Today we long for love. We try to get love from
persons, through the accumulation of things, through various achievements… We seek
a thing which could satisfy us forever and better than other’s satisfaction. All
these points that we need something which could not be described in words and
not properly comprehended by many. That indescribable and uncomprehensible thing
is LOVE.
The commandment of the Lord
God is very clear that we ought to love God and others with all our soul, heart,
mind and strength. He has not given us a commandment to yearn a love from
others. To receive and experience love from others is not the commandment. To
give love is the commandment. It is here that most of us make mistake. Instead
of giving love, we look for love. God is commanding us to love Him, not because
He could love us in return rather in doing so, we may understand that He has
loved us even before we could think of loving Him. In this commandment there is
no promise of love in return. Loving one’s neighbour has no promise that we would
receive their love in return. The nature of love is to give. We are looking for
a thing which has only one possibility that is to give. How can we seek
a thing that is inherently in us? We are being in love. Our very existence is
the manifestation of the love of God who without any necessity has created us. Love
can never be received; it could only be expressed and manifested.
The project of Christianity is
love – charity. We are given out from the Lord God to be – to exist. We are
here because, He has given us out to be. As beings made in His image and likeness
(Gen 1:27) we are also having the nature to love, i.e. to give out without any
expectation in return. When others love us back, they complement the love we
have given and understand the truth about love. In loving God and loving people
who love us we are not giving or paying something back. Our love in return enables
us to understand the truth about love which would lead us to love others – to give
to others the love. We are being in love. The true nature of our being is to
love. Thus, any expectation to receive love is contrary to our nature. Let’s
love, let’s give love with all our soul, heart, mind and strength. Let our love
be manifested – given out there to be!
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