By Eedara Vamshi csc –
Readings: Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22; Mt 22: 34-40
In the first reading, in the response of Ruth to Naomi, “for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge, your people shall be my people and your God my God,” we see that Ruth balances the love of God and that of her people. That was her profession of faith.
In today’s gospel passage, we come across a very fascinating question asked by a lawyer to Jesus- Which commandment in law is the greatest? Jesus very beautifully answers that the love of God and the love of neighbour are inseparable. One cannot meaningfully exist without the other. To love God without loving the neighbour is hypocrisy. St. John said, “Those who say I love God and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars.”
For those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love a God whom they have not seen. First of all, we should love God with total, personal, and undivided dedication. We must seek him, have pleasure in him and strive for him impulsively. The first place we need
to give in our hearts must always be for God because he is the source of all things.
The love of God makes us love our neighbours naturally. To love the neighbour is not an option but a command, given by Jesus to all of us. During this pandemic situation, Jesus invites all of us to reach out to our neighbours irrespective of religion and social status in fulfilling their necessities such as food, clothes, etc, because God has created everyone in his own image and likeness. Only when we reach out to them can we say that we love God with all our heart, all our soul and all
our mind.