Fergal Mac Eoinín
Hearing Christ’s commandment that we should love God and our neighbour will probably occupy most of our reflections this weekend. The sheer importance of tomorrow’s Gospel passage will likely eclipse tomorrow’s reading from Exodus. That eclipsing is common because we Christians often consider our faith more as a new beginning than as the culmination of Torah. Jesus never discarded the wisdom and direction of the Law of Moses. The law was the foundation of his faith.
That law demanded respectful treatment of the foreigner, the widow and the poor. That advice to the ancient Hebrews ranks as good counsel still. It would be safe to say that, at this moment, loving these neighbours is not a priority. Government and market work hand-in-hand employing principles that penalise those who cannot pay their car tax, their energy needs or their insurances in a single go. Those who need to avail of these staggered payments are generally those who cannot afford the single hit. It is these who face the higher costs of automated transactions. These are today’s versions of the debtors which Exodus also mentions. All of these people are the concern of faith.
The legacy with which we live has left many people like poor, widowed migrants in crippling debt. Is this the kingdom that Christ preached? There is a growing cloud of disgruntlement gathering above us. Many people are looking for something new. It is almost as if they are waiting for a messiah and the hope of something better. Pray God that change will come peacefully.
The kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace. Peace thrives whenever people feel respected. It doesn’t when people are excluded. Poverty, tribalism and inequality were the roots of strife that Moses identified. He advocated kindly treatment of the excluded ones as the base of a happy community. Christ affirmed this in his commandment to love your neighbour. We do not discuss this point enough as Christians. Prominent spokespersons regularly challenge potential leaders concerning their stance on abortion or same-sex marriage. It is somewhat remiss of us when we give such sparse consideration for the care of the clichéd “most vulnerable in our society”. It was an area that was important for Moses, Christ and the founders of all the great faiths.
There are always people who need help. If not ourselves they are our neighbours. Our duty to love them is a task we undertake naturally. Being kind brings out the best in us and everybody takes pride in helping when they can. Little by little these simple acts of love change society as a whole. They are like the little blocks that form a dyke against the flow of injustices, greed, snobbery and profiteering that are such a part of life. Peace is established when there is a balance when there is enough good to withstand market excesses. But even charity can crumble under the weight of its own loving obligations.
Sometimes in the past, it has seemed that the struggle was too hard and we held out our hands for a leader, a liberator, a prophet or a saviour. Religions call it the cry of the poor. It starts as a whimper while empathy dies. It increases to a wail as it argues its case. It becomes a roar when it finds no ear to hear it. In order to truly love our neighbour we must be respectful, kind and considerate. It was traditionally expressed as seeing Christ in everybody else. The loss of this empathy is the direct opposite to loving your neighbour. It makes Christ’s commandment a bit uncomfortable now.