October 29 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time : To love as Jesus loves

 

First Reading : Exodus 22:20-26

The Lord teaches that compassion ought to be shown to the alien and to the poor.

 

Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 18:2-4,47,51

The Lord is our strength.

 

Second Reading : 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10

Paul tells the Thessalonians that their conversion to the Lord has been an example to all believers.

 

Gospel Reading : Matthew 22:34-40

 

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to love God and the neighbour alike. Loving God and loving neighbour are two aspects of the same commandment to love. Our foremost duty is to love God with our entire selves. This love of God should be expressed in the way we love our neighbours. We need to love others with as much concern as we have for ourselves. We see what true love is in the life of Jesus: the sacrificial love. That's why he once said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34). All of us want to love like Jesus. We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn't work. Our humanness gets in the way. Therefore let us ask Jesus to help us to love the way he loved.