I once considered going into law; after all, my BA degree was in political science. I even crammed for weeks in preparation for the Law School Admissions Test, but when I scored only fifty percent, I knew that wasn’t my calling in life. My brother-in-law is an attorney and I enjoy listening to his stories, but at times, I am left wondering would so many laws be needed if we acted out of love for one another as Jesus suggests that we should?
Like any society, ancient Israel was governed by many laws. Not satisfied with just the Ten Commandments, the Pharisees had enacted another 603 commandments, which they expected all religious Jews to follow faithfully. Violating a heavy commandment would merit the wrath of God or at least the scorn of the Pharisees.
With the intent of embarrassing Jesus, a lawyer asked him to define the greatest commandment, a question often debated amongst rabbis. Jesus, as we heard, provided a unique answer by quoting from the Shema, a prayer recited twice daily by faithful Jews and the book of Leviticus. To him, the greatest commandment is a total and selfless love of both God and neighbor. All of God’s commands, everything asked of us as human beings, are to be an expression of love.
What Jesus said was no surprise to his listeners. However, few of them thought that the whole law and the prophets depended on these two commandments. By placing them on equal footing, Jesus is saying that we cannot put one into practice without observing the other.
In his first letter, John makes the same point. “Anyone who says, I love God and hates his brother is a liar, since a man who does not love the brother that he can see cannot love God, whom he has never seen.”
So what is love? What are we being challenged to do by these two commandments? Love is a human experience with ill-conceived notions. We often talk about falling in love but that is not the love that Jesus is speaking of here. The love he has in mind involves not romantic love but an active effort on our part to be compassionate and caring.
In his book, The Road Less Traveled, Scott Peck defines love as the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another person’s spiritual growth. Love’s primary task is attention giving. We cannot claim to love someone when we fail to pay attention to that person.
First and foremost, love involves listening. Even this activity is done on several levels. Sometimes we pretend to listen, but all the while, we are thinking of our own agenda instead of what that person is attempting to communicate. At the next level, we selectively listen to whatever appeals to us, tuning out anything that irritates us for whatever reason. At the most selfless level, we listen attentively to what the other person is saying. How often do we listen completely and attentively especially to the significant others in our lives?
The biggest tragedy in many families is the busy parent who gives no time to really listen to what a spouse or child has to say. The consequence can be devastating for the person who is not being heard is left feeling unloved.
Spiritual directors have always encouraged me to listen more attentively to God each day by setting time aside to be alone and away from other distractions. Daily prayer time can be spent listening to God through scripture, reflecting on the teachings of our faith, or meditation. In any case, true listening means being open to hearing what God has to say.
Today’s readings are timely and important, especially as we near Election Day. They remind us to consider the candidates’ rhetoric, track records and policies, not just their party affiliation. These readings also compel us to ask, who has shown care for the vulnerable? Who cares about how we treat one another? Whose platform promotes love?
Arguably, today’s gospel has one of the most important teachings given by Jesus, but how readily are we listening to what he is telling us? Are we willing to put aside our own agenda and prejudices to heed his advice? He is calling on us to demonstrate a sincere commitment to God through actions of service to others, especially the less fortunate.
There are tangible things we can do to show love. Love is implementing policies that protect the vulnerable and penalize oppressors. Love is reprimanding people who brandish weapons at those working for racial justice rather than applauding intimidation and instigation of hateful acts. Love is treating all humans as neighbors, not just those who look and think like you. Love is fighting for life for every person from conception to natural death.
Speaking out against abortion is not enough. Love compels us to care for every vulnerable life. In a community such as ours where many are elderly, that should concern us. Out of love, we cannot disregard the many people who live with and suffer from the evils of poverty, racism and violence, while claiming to be pro-life. When casting your ballot on this election and always, let the Gospel message of love influence whom you choose as our leaders.
In his latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis urges that we who have been loved much, love with the same love and strive to see our kinship with one another as God’s children.