Greetings, Church fans! I’m back from the wilds of North Dakota where the townspeople of Scranton were being terrorized by an infestation of ring-necked pheasants! I did well. Joy the dog, well…let’s just say she has a few things to learn about bird hunting. Below is this week’s meditation on the Great Commandment regarding love of God, love of neighbor and love of self. To see a video of the homily, click here. To see the whole Mass, click here.
In the early 1970’s Gale Sayers was a force to be reckoned with in the NFL’s Chicago Bears. He once scored six touchdowns in a single game. Mr. Sayers was a man of faith. The title for his memoir, “I Am Third,” came from his life’s motto: “The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third.” I suspect his motto came from today’s gospel passage from Mark regarding love of God, love of neighbor and love of self, also known as “The Great Commandment.”
The dynamic from which the Great Commandment emerges is the classic first century rabbinical ritual of learning. It was typically a three or four stage process. The ritual was in initiated when the student asked a very basic question. In this case, the student asks, “Which is the greatest of the all the commandments?” Every seven-year old Jewish kid would know the answer. It is the Shema Israel. “Hear O Israel…” It begins Jewish morning and evening prayer even to this day. It declares that God is one and that we should love him with all our heart, soul, and strength. In the second part of the ritual of learning, the teacher is expected to respond by relating that very basic teaching to another one in the Law. Here, Jesus links love of God, with the command to love of neighbor as found in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
The ritual of learning was completed when the student replies with another insight built upon the previous two. In the passage from Mark, the scribe does this beautifully and gains the praise of the Lord.
I find it particularly fitting that the Great Commandment for love of God, neighbor and self is brought forth in this ritual of learning. Loving and learning share a similar dynamic. They both require that we look beyond ourselves if we are to grow in love or in knowledge, and hopefully, virtue.
Love by its very nature focusses on relationship with the other. In this case, love of God is source and foundation of our relationship with others. We can love our neighbor because we are in a loving relationship with the Almighty. Love of self follows when we realize that we are lovable. In a similar way, when we seek the truth, we have to realize that we don’t know everything. We must go first to the One who is Truth itself. Next we have to be open to learn from the wisdom of others. In either instance, the Lord is first, others are second, and we are third.