"To love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mk 12:33)
This 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, our Lord wants to reiterate the primacy of charity. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. In addition, we should love him for himself and not for what he can give us. The limit of love is that it knows no limits. The truth is that when we love God, we are truly loving ourselves.
At the same time, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Christian charity consists actually in loving God in our neighbor. My neighbor is another self. When we disregard any person, especially those different than ourselves, we show disregard to Christ himself. St. Paul reminds us that "If I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a clashing cymbal." (1 Cor. 13:1) Our Lord adds "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them." (Lk 6:32)
Questions for Reflection:
- Can I honestly say that I love until it hurts?
- Do I associate only with those who think like me?
- Do I make an act of faith in Christ present in my neighbor and act accordingly?
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