The first 3 commandments of the Decalogue contain the law to love God and

the other 7 are commandments that ensure the proper love of neighbor.

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

and with all your might.” Loving God is linked inextricably to loving other people.

All the rules in the Law flow from the ideas of loving God and loving others.

Placing God right at the center of our lives practicing fraternity,

Love alone can triumph over the power of death.

 

＊＊＊ 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 souls 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 ：

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

 

Lectio Divina

 

Read: In Exodus, God calls his people to live justly and to care for the most vulnerable rather than taking advantage of them in their distress. Paul holds up the Thessalonians as a model for new believers. Their example of conversion and faith in Christ can help to spread the Gospel. In the reading from Matthew's Gospel, Jesus teaches the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. 

 

Reflect: God calls his people to solidarity and empathy. Put simply, this means that we should have a sense of responsibility and compassion for each other. This may be one of Christianity's boldest claims! In a world where everyone is supposed to look out for themselves and get as much as they can, putting the needs of others first is a radical concept.

 

Moses consistently reminds the people to remember the difficulties they experienced when they were enslaved in Egypt. Their experience should make them all the more ready to treat their neighbors well, making sure that they have everything they need and offering support. We too should recall our own difficult experiences and the loving God who helped us so that we might help each other.

 

Pray: Lord, help me to love you and my neighbor more dearly. 

 

Act: Reach out to someone who might need a listening ear.