{"id":5149,"date":"2020-10-25T12:04:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T16:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=5149"},"modified":"2020-10-25T12:04:51","modified_gmt":"2020-10-25T16:04:51","slug":"30th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-homily-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/30th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-homily-2\/","title":{"rendered":"30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

30th<\/sup> Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A<\/a>
Exodus 22:20-26
Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)
1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
Matthew 22:34-40
October 25, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week we heard how the Pharisees were trying to \u201centrap Jesus in speech<\/em>.\u201d  As they did this, Jesus responded \u201cknowing their malice.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the Pharisees continue their efforts against Jesus.  \u201cOne of them, a scholar of law, tested him by asking, \u201cTeacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?\u201d<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though the motive in asking the question is bad, the question is a fair question.  Sometimes following all the commandments seems impossible.  Where do we begin?  Our desire should be to keep all God\u2019s commandments but where do we start?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we hear the word \u201ccommandments,\u201d we might immediately think of the Ten Commandments<\/a> given to Moses.  Which one of them is the greatest?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Jesus does not respond with one of the Ten Commandments<\/a>.  His response is found in the Old Testament, specifically Deuteronomy 6:5.  Jesus says the greatest commandment is \u201cYou shall love the Lord, your God, with all<\/strong> you heart, with all<\/strong> your soul, and with all <\/strong>your mind<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On his own initiative, Jesus tells us the second greatest commandment is like the first, \u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself<\/em>.\u201d  This too is not one of the Ten Commandments<\/a> but it is found in the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While neither of the two greatest commandments given by Jesus are explicitly found in the Ten Commandments<\/a>, they are what the Ten Commandments call us to do, love<\/em><\/strong>.  They sum up the Ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first three of the Ten Commandments<\/a> are about loving God.  Commandments three through ten are about how we love our neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much are we to love?  With all<\/u><\/em><\/strong> our heart, soul, and mind.  Do we?  Is there something we are holding back on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be hard to love.  Some people make it especially hard to love them but at times it can even be hard to love God.  Sometimes we just want to do our own thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it can be hard to love.  In our opening prayer, we prayed that God \u201cincrease our faith, hope and charity\u201d (charity meaning love). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God loves us.  As Paul says we need to become imitators of the Lord, meaning we need to follow his example of love.  Jesus shows us what it means to love with all<\/u><\/em><\/strong> our heart, soul, and mind when He freely gives his life for us on the Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about loving our neighbor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our first reading provides application of the Ten Commandments<\/a> to love.  Regarding lending money, we hear, \u201cyou shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him.<\/em>\u201d  To do so is to steal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this say about banks charging interest on loans?  Today is a different world.  Charging interest is how banks make money to stay in business.  They rightly charge interest but it must be at a fair rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the first reading is speaking against is taken advantage of a person\u2019s misfortune.  It speaks of neighbors helping each other not as a business but as love.  We should not advantage of our neighbor\u2019s plight to make money for ourselves.  It only makes their situation worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first reading also tells us, \u201cYou shall not molest or oppress alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.<\/em>\u201d  To be an alien to is to be a foreigner, meaning one is not in one\u2019s homeland.  That can make life all the harder.  They might feel all alone.  We are not to take advantage of their misfortune.  We should think about how we treat immigrant and migrant workers today.  Do we pay and treat them fairly or do we take advantage of their situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord reminds the Israelites how badly they were treated in Egypt.  They are not to treat others similarly.  What\u2019s the Golden Rule?  \u201cDo onto others as you would have them do onto you<\/em>\u201d (see Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Israelites were oppressed as slaves in Egypt.  They cried out to God who heard their cry and rescued them, destroying their enemies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are loved by God.  We are called to respond by loving God and our neighbor.  It is not easy to love.  When we do, we become \u201ca model for all<\/em>.\u201d  When we love, people will see us as people who love and, we pray love others in kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not easy to love.  We do so only with our Lord as our strength, our rock, our deliver, refuge, and shield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, help us to love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AExodus 22:20-26Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10Matthew 22:34-40October 25, 2020 Last week we heard how the Pharisees were trying to \u201centrap Jesus in speech.\u201d  As they did this, Jesus responded \u201cknowing their malice.\u201d Today, the Pharisees continue their efforts against Jesus.  \u201cOne of them, a scholar of …<\/p>\n

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