Jesus Christ identified loving God and loving one's neighbor

as the two greatest commandments in the Bible.

Stating that "all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments".

The Second Commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

 Exodus 22:20-26

You shall not

Wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

You shall not harm the widow or the orphan. If you do harm them and they cry out to me,

I will hear them and my anger will blaze and I will kill you with the sword,

and your own wives will be widows and your own children orphans.

 

If you lend money to any of my people who are poor,

do not act like a moneylender and do not charge him interest.

If ever you take a person's cloak as a pledge, you must give it back to him by sunset,

for it is all the covering he has for his body. In what else will he sleep?

And when he cries to me I will hear him, for I am full of pity.

 

Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)

I love you, Lord, my strength.

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10

The gospel we brought you was such, not only in words. Miracles, the Holy Spirit, and plenty of everything,

were given to you. You, also, know how we dealt with you, for your sake.

In return, you became followers of us, and of the Lord, when, on receiving the word,

you experienced the joy of the Holy Spirit, in the midst of great opposition.

And you became a model for the faithful of Macedonia and Achaia, since, from you,

 

the word of the Lord spread to Macedonia and Achaia, and still farther.

The faith you have in God has become news in so many places, that we need say no more about it.

Others tell of how you welcomed us, and turned from idols, to the Lord.

For you serve the living and true God, and you wait for his Son, from heaven,

whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who frees us from impending trial.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,

they assembled together. One of them, a lawyer, questioned him to test him,

"Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?" Jesus answered, "

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

This is the first and the most important of the commandments. The second is like it:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The whole law and the prophets are founded on these two commandments."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

Lectio Divina

To love God and our neighbors.

 

Read: In the first reading, God commands His people to care for the vulnerable,

emphasizing justice and mercy, especially towards the poor and widows.

Meanwhile, Paul rejoices with the Thessalonian Christians for their faith and transformation,

highlighting how they embraced the Gospel and became examples of faith to others.

This is summarized in the Gospel through Jesus's answers to the greatest commandment,

which states that loving God wholeheartedly and loving one's neighbor as oneself are fundamental.

 

Reflect: Jesus reveals the heart of the commandments: to love God and our neighbors.

This dual call to love is fundamental to our faith, emphasizing that true devotion to God is mirrored in 

our active relationships with others. Genuine love for God compels us to express our faith through acts of kindness,

compassion, and service to our brothers and sisters. We are reminded today that our spiritual life

is not solely about individual devotion but is deeply connected with our collective responsibility.

As we nurture our love for God, may it overflow into concrete expressions of love for those around us,

reflecting Christ's love in our world.

 

Pray: Lord, help me to love genuinely as I relate to my brothers and sisters.

 

Act: Where do you stand if you were to rate yourself on the quality of your love? Do a concrete act of love today.