TheGreatCommandment

EssenceofChristianity

OurrelationshipwithGodtheFatherandwithoneanother

Thebasis ofCatholicMoralityandisthebackboneofCatholicSocialTeaching

Matthew22:34-40

“WhenthePhariseesheardthat[Jesus]hadsilencedtheSadducees,theygatheredtogether,andoneofthem[ascholarofthelaw]testedhimbyasking,"Teacher,whichcommandmentinthelawisthegreatest?"

[Jesus]saidtohim,"YoushalllovetheLord,yourGod,withallyourheart,withallyoursoul,andwithallyourmind.Thisisthegreatestandthefirstcommandment.

Thesecondislikeit:Youshallloveyourneighborasyourself.Thewholelawandtheprophetsdependonthesetwocommandments."

ACommonQuestion

Whichofthe613 Jewishlawswas thegreatest?

Itwasamajorsourceof

contentionanddivided

Jewishleadersintorival

camps:PhariseesandSadducees

Itwasintendedtobeatrap.

WhichCommandmentintheLawistheGreatest?

Jesus’answerisinsightfulandthoughtprovokinggoingbeyondthescopeoftheposedquestionandgivesasummaryofthelaworevendeeperitscenterorcore.

GreatCommandment

Jesus' answer combines two quotations from the Torah:

Deuteronomy 6:5“Therefore, you shall love theLORD, your God, with all yourheart, and with all your soul,and with all your strength.”

Leviticus 19:18“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

TotheJewishReligiousLeaders:

TotheJewishreligiousleadersJesus’answerunderscoreshisorthodoxyasaJewishteacher

ThequotationfromDeuteronomy6:5ispartoftheShemaYisrael,whichisconsideredoneoftheholiestofJewishprayers.

ItisanaffirmationofJudaismandadeclarationoffaithinoneGod.

ToJesus’Disciples

Tohis disciples,Jesuspresentedanewinnerdispositionandanewwayoflife.

Thetwocommandmentsareconnectedtoeachotherbytheword ‘Love'andtheirjuxtapositionbyJesuswasanoriginaltheologicalconcept.

The“LoveofGod”isnotanemotionalfeelingbutfaithfulnesstoHiscovenant,amatterofdoingGod’swill.

“…Withallyourheart,andwithallyoursoul,andwithallyourstrength.”

Thenouns(heart,soul,strength)areawaytostressthattheweshouldloveGodwithallavailableresources.

Therabbisstressedthispartofthecommandmentwhere:

• Heartmeantwill• Soulmeantlife• Strengthmeantwealth

InotherwordsweshouldloveGodashelovesus...unconditionally.

GreatCommandmentisreferenced in:Mark12:28-34,Luke10:25-28,Matthew7:12,19:19,22:34-40Romans13:9Galatians5:14

IntheGospelofJohnwefindtheNewCommandmentthatissimilartotheGreatCommandment:

“Loveoneanother. AsIhavelovedyou,soyoualsoshouldloveoneanother”(John13:34).

ThethreesynopticGospelspresenttheGreatCommandmentsomewhatdifferently:

InMatthewandMark,we

seeJesusrespondingto

questioningbyaPharisaic

scribe.

Thisissetinthecontext

ofJesusbeingtestedby

thePharisees

IntheGospelofLuketheGreatCommandmentissetinthecontextofadiscussionondiscipleship.

Jesusisaskedbythescribe,howtoachieveeternallife.Jesusaskshowthescribeinterpretedthelaw.Thescriberespondswiththegreatcommandment.

Jesusisthenaskedbythescribe,“Whoismyneighbor?”

JesusanswerswiththeParableofthe GoodSamaritan.

Apowerfullessonaboutmercytowardsthoseinneed

BothoftheversesquotedbyJesuswerewellknowninJewishcircles.

ThedistinctivefeatureofthereplygivenbyJesusisthatheconnectedthetwo.

ThereisnoevidenceforthecombinationofthetwotextsbyanyteacherpriortoJesus.

LoveofGodfindsitsonlyfulfillmentinloveofneighbor.

Loveofone'sneighbormustberootedintheLoveofGod.

Thetwoareinseparable

“Loveofneighbor”isgivenin theGospelofMatthewastheonlyexplicitstandardbywhichmanwillbejudged(ParableofSheepandGoats/JudgmentoftheNationsMatthew25:34-46):

“Thenthekingwillsaytothoseonhisright,'Come,youwhoareblessedbymyFather.Inheritthekingdompreparedforyoufromthefoundationoftheworld.ForIwashungryandyougavemefood,Iwasthirstyandyougavemedrink,astrangerandyouwelcomedme,nakedandyouclothedme,illandyoucaredforme,inprisonandyouvisitedme.”

The Great Commandment is a summary and fulfillment of the 10 Commandments.

The first three commandments deal with the Love of God and the remaining 7 with the Love of Neighbor.

1. You shall have no other Gods before me

2. You shall not take the Lord's name in vain

3. Keep the Sabbath Holy

4. Honor your father and mother

5. You shall not kill

6. You shall not commit adultery

7. You shall not steal

8. You shall not bear false witness

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's possessions

TheGreatCommandmentisconsideredaformalmoralimperative.

Itisacommand notasuggestionorrequest.

Thestatementismadewithauthority,notasjustateacherbutasLord.

LoveofNeighborChristianLove

Thisisnotaromanticlovebutacaringlove.Wemustcareaboutthewellbeingandgoodofothers.

ToJesusthedistinctivecharacteristicofthisloveisthemutualself-givingwhichbreaksdownrelationshipsmarkedbythesuperiority/inferioritystructure.

Jesusestablishesarelationshipbuiltonequality.Hecommandsustoloveoneanotherashelovesus,thatis,withthelovethathasnoroomforonetobesuperiororconsideredbetterthananother.

ChristianLove

The spiritual life of the Christian is really a life that is lived in ways pleasing to God under the Great Commandment.

How we treat one another really matters.

It touches not only our neighbor but reaches deep into the larger society.

POPEEMERITUSBENEDICTXVI

“Ourneighborisanyonewhoneedsourhelpandwhomwecanhelp .”

Thepopestatesthattodayloving ourneighborhasglobaldimensions sinceweseeandrespondtopeople’s strugglesandneedsalmost instantaneously

WithglobalcommunicationsatellitesandtheInternetwehaverealtimeviewsofdisastersastheyunfoldanywhereon ourplanet.

ThisglobalworldviewisatthecoreofCatholicSocialTeachingthatcentersonourloveforourfellowman.Thisisaglobalissueandshouldnotbelimitedbyboundariesofanytype.

CatholicMorality

TheGreatCommandment(alongwiththe10Commandments,theSermonontheMountandspecificallytheBeatitudes)formsthefoundationofCatholicChristianMorality.

Catholic/ChristianmoralityplacesChristinthecenterofourmoraldecision-making.

OurconscienceshouldbeformedbasedontheteachingsandlifeofChrist.

MoralChoices

AstheParableoftheGoodSamaritanteacheswehavechoicesandeachofusmustassumeresponsibilityforouractions.

TheoldWWJDevolvesinto

whatwouldJesuswant

metodo.

AnInseparableLove

KarlRahner,SJ:

“Aperson’sloveforhisneighborisevidenceofhisloveofGod.

TheScripturesteachthatGod

regardstheloveshowntoaneighbor

asloveshowntohim.

Therefore,thelovingrelationship

betweenapersonandhisneighbor

indicatesalovingrelationshipbetween

thatpersonandGod.”

GreatCommandment

ItisamoralimperativeofChristianbehavior.

ItisthefoundationofChristianlove.

Thetwocommandmentsareinseparable:YoucannotloveGodwithoutlovingyour

neighbor.AndyoucannotloveyourneighborwithouttheGraceandLoveofGod.