30th Sunday Year A

Matthew 22:34-40

You shall love the Lord your God and your neighbor as
yourself.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they assembled in a body; and one of them, a lawyer, in an
attempt to trip him up, asked him, "Teacher, which commandment
of the law is the greatest?" Jesus said to him:

"'You shall love the Lord your God
with your whole heart,
with your whole soul,
and with all your mind.'

This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like
it:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

On these two commandments the whole law is based, and the
prophets as well."

The gospel of the Lord.

The gospel for this 30th Sunday Year A is taken from Matthew 22:
34-40. It is a passage where we shall see a lawyer, who is part
of the assembly of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He wanted to
challenge Jesus with a question, asking Him, "Teacher, which
commandment of the law is the greatest?" And Jesus answered:


"'You shall love the Lord your God
with your whole heart,
with your whole soul,
and with all your mind.'

...The second is like it:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

With that answer of Jesus, we are able to see in so few words,
what all the Ten Commandments and all of the teachings of the Old
Testament prophets and the teachings of Jesus and St. Paul in the
New Testament, are writing about. It is the Christian commandment
summed up in its essential form. Therefore, it can act as a simple
guide for us in our daily Christian living, and when we need to go
to the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. It can help us
examine our consciences. Dwelling in this answer of Jesus, we can
let His Spirit search our hearts and see how, by action or
inaction, we have sinned. Three essential relationships are
brought to us for healing in the sacrament: our relationship with
God, with others (especially family and everyday social contacts),
and with ourselves (the way we used our senses, food, drink, etc.).