Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

How Do You Love?

What’s Love got to do with it? These words call to mind a popular song, and also point to the question posed to Jesus about what’s most important. The response of Jesus: LOVE’S GOT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT!
In today’s readings we have a treasure trove of wisdom and a challenge to conventional thinking and acting. The reading from Exodus reminds us of how quickly we forget who we are and where we came from.
In today’s Gospel Jesus is confronted by a lawyer from the Pharisees, a prominent group of lay leaders. He thinks he will trap Jesus with the question: “Which of the commandments is the greatest in the law?” At that time, the Mosaic Law included 613 commandments, 365 prohibitions (one for each day of the year), and 268 prescriptions (one for each bone in the body). The answer Jesus gives is simple and succinct: “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Enough said!