First Reading • Exodus 22:20-26
Psalm • Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
Second Reading • 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
Gospel • Matthew 22:34-40
Probably one of the biggest complaints we hear about religion is that there are too many rules. It is especially true of Catholicism.
There are rules about Mass, sacraments, marriage, fasting, and many other things. When we open the Bible, we find even more: from the Ten Commandments to the teachings of Jesus.
Sometimes we become so concerned about following the rules that we forget why the rules are there in the first place.
Today Jesus brings everything back to what matters most: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus says, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
In other words, if we forget love, we have missed the heart of our faith.
And Jesus is not speaking about love simply as a warm feeling. Christian love is something we do.
It means visiting someone who is lonely, listening patiently to someone who is hurting, forgiving someone who has offended us, or giving our time to someone who needs us.
These may seem like small things, but when done with love, they can change someone’s life.
The first reading makes this very practical. God tells the Israelites not to mistreat the stranger, the widow, or the orphan because they were among the most vulnerable people in society.
God is saying: If you really love me, show me how you treat the person who needs you most.
That remains true for us today.
We cannot say, “I love God,” while refusing to forgive a member of our family.
We cannot say, “I love Jesus,” while ignoring someone who is lonely. We cannot receive Christ in the Eucharist and then walk past people who need our compassion.
Our love for God must become visible in our love for one another.
Scripture gives us perhaps the most beautiful description of God: God is love.
Think about what that means. The God who created the universe, who holds all creation in his hands, knows you personally and loves you.
And because we are created in God’s image and likeness, we become most fully ourselves when we love. We were created to love and to be loved.
Jesus showed us what this love looks like. He washed the feet of his disciples, touched the sick, welcomed sinners, and forgave those who crucified him. Finally, he stretched out his arms upon the Cross and gave his life for us.
That is Christian love: love that gives itself away.
The saints understood this. Saint Damien of Molokai served people with leprosy.
Mother Teresa cared for the dying on the streets of Calcutta. Saint Maximilian Kolbe gave his life so that another prisoner could live.
Most of us will never be asked to do something so dramatic. Our greatest opportunities to love are usually within our own families.
Perhaps one of the greatest problems facing families today is not necessarily the absence of love, but the failure to express that love in concrete ways. We love our spouses, children, parents, and siblings, but sometimes we are too busy, distracted, or tired to show it.
We provide for our families, but are we truly present to them?
We give our children many things, but do we give them our time and attention?
We live under the same roof, but do we really listen to one another?
Sometimes love needs only a few simple words: “How are you?” “Are you okay?” “Is something troubling you?” “How can I help you?” “Don’t worry, I will take care of it.” “You look tired; take some rest.”
These simple words, spoken with genuine concern, can bring comfort and healing.
Sometimes putting down our phones, sitting beside someone, listening without judging, or helping without being asked can express more love than expensive gifts.
The commandment to love our neighbour begins with the people God has placed closest to us. Our homes should be the first places where God’s love is experienced, especially by our children.
Sometimes it is easier to follow religious rules than to love. It can be easier to come to Mass than to forgive someone who hurt us. It can be easier to say our prayers than to listen patiently to someone who annoys us.
But Jesus asks for more.
He asks us not only, “Did you come to church?” but also, “Did you love?”
Imagine if every family asked each morning, “Who needs my love and attention today?”
Imagine if every parishioner noticed the lonely, welcomed the stranger, encouraged a child, or helped someone struggling.
That is how Jesus wants to change the world; through ordinary people doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.
In a few moments, we will receive the Eucharist, the greatest sign of God’s love: Jesus giving himself completely to us.
Then he sends us out to share that love with others, beginning in our own homes.
So, when we leave this church today, let us remember: Love God, and love one another; not merely in words, but through our presence, kindness, concern, and sacrifice.
And let us ask ourselves one simple question:
Who is the person God is asking me to love more today, and how will I show that love?
