A HANDICAPPED LOVER

Friday in the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Mt 22:34-40

Highest, tallest, smallest, shortest, biggest, latest, newest, fastest, farthest, dearest, purest, holiest, earliest, soonest, friendliest, cleanest, slowest, keenest, oldest, youngest, longest, widest, greatest, etc. Do you recognize what these words are? Yes, they are, of course, adjectives. But what kind of adjectives are they? Superlatives! They are the highest in rank in the hierarchy of adjectives. A rank lower to them is called “comparatives”.

“Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” asked one of the Pharisees. The Master answered thus, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: you must love your neighbor as yourself.” Wait a minute; can there be two superlatives of the same adjective? In love, there is. The greatest of a love so great is love of God and love of neighbor. “On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also,” concluded the Master.

It is not enough to love God and be indifferent to our neighbor. Our love for our neighbor cannot be an excuse to love God less. The two go together as a person is not complete with only one ear, one eye, one arm, one hand and one foot. A whole person has a pair of each of these body parts. When a pair is missing, the person is said to be handicapped. Love for God without love for neighbor is a handicapped love. The same is true with love for neighbor without love for God. Just as a handicapped person cannot reach its fullest physical potential so is love not whole if it were love for God that is bereft of love for neighbor or vice versa.

Our love should have ears, eyes, arms, hands and feet for both God and neighbor. Just as we listen to God so should we listen to our neighbor. As we see God, we should not be blind to our neighbor. We embrace God and neighbor together in one crossing of our arms. If our hands work for God, so should they serve our neighbor. The feet that run towards God must also be feet that run towards the neighbor. By these we observe the Law and fulfill the Prophets. Love of God and love of neighbor is the foundation of the Law and the vision of the Prophets.

When we pray, let us reflect on our folded hands. Should we have only one hand, would we not have a clenched fist instead?