30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

My brothers and sisters, once again we are presented with the readings which totally speak to our situation today. Our world, at least in the west, is becoming so polarized. People – our own friends and families – are ripping other people apart on social media. We see that right now in the United States with the upcoming presidential election. But we also witnessed extreme polarization in the UK over Brexit. The great challenge for Christians is to resist – to not allow our church communities to be ripped apart by politics.

Of course, we have a responsibility to bring our faith into politics and business – to help people see beyond the problems of everyday life. Our readings today remind us where our true focus should be. But today’s readings also answer the question, “Why do we need a church?” Let’s get to it then!

In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells us that because Jesus was successful in dismissing the Sadducees, the Pharisees decided to give a go (Matthew 22:34-35). So, one of them asked, “Teacher, what’s the most important commandment in the Torah?” (Matthew 22:36). Now, this really wasn’t a trick question as much as a test. Did Jesus have a sufficient understanding of the Law to teach it? <1>

Jesus replies with one answer stated two different ways. “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and all your soul, and all your mind…[and] You will love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Torah (and Prophets) depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). How is this possible? If we believe that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and if we accept Jesus’ teaching that whatever we do for the least of these we do for him (Matthew 25:40), then loving God is the same as loving our neighbor and loving our neighbor is the same as loving God. I think the song “The Proof of Your Love” by King & Country explains this point more eloquently that me. You’ve got to check it out! I’ve got a link in the podcast to it. <2>

But what does this have to do with church? Do we really need a church?

There are at least two reasons we need to consider. First, Christianity is not some intellectual activity that we subscribe to after considering a series of arguments for and against. No! Christianity is a report. It is the Gospel – it is the Good News! But in order to “hear” the Good News, someone had to bring it to us. We are a community – we are a church – because someone at some particular point in time brought to the community the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ, or as Bishop Robert Barron would say, the Great Story of Jesus. What does Paul do? He brings the Good News to the people at Thessalonica, at Colossae, at Corinth, at Ephesus. Right? He brings the Good News to the people. Being a Christian means we heard the Good News from someone else, like our parents or teachers or friends or pastors. <3>

The second reason why we are a church – why church is central to the Christian life – is that the Gospel makes this extraordinary claim that my relationship with God is dependent on my relationship with my neighbor. <4>

How could someone born to a castaway and raised alone on a deserted island be a Christian? It’s unlikely for two reasons: someone needs to bring that person the Good News, and that person needs to be part of a community of believers. If you are not part of a community, how can you ever practice loving your neighbor?

Why is this so important for us today in our increasingly polarized world? We should be first Christian, then American or British or Swiss, etc. And somewhere way down the line, we might identify as Republican or Democrat, Tories or Labour, etc. Never party before God and country! Yet something is stirring the pot. It’s like putting some red and black ants in a jar. I saw this interesting image on social media. They’ll get along just fine unless you shake the jar. Then they’ll start to rip each other apart. As Christians who are challenged by today’s Gospel to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is shaking the jar?”

My brothers and sisters, I am not advocating for one political point of view over another. I am advocating for “the Way, the Truth and the Life” that is Christ Jesus (John 14:6). As Christians we’re not supposed to rip our neighbors apart! No! We should be trying to help alleviate people’s anxiety by sharing the hope of Jesus Christ. We need to have the courage to point out the demons shaking the jar. We need to help lead people into the community of believers, not out of it. The Gospel today gives us quite a bit to think about before and after the upcoming elections.

Homework! Enlighted by the Word of God and by the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, what does the word “church” mean to you?
Second, do you remember who brought the Good News to you? How have you shared the Good News with others?

Perhaps our homework will help us lead the people we encounter away from polarization and back to the church. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPG file.

Notes:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes are taken from The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
<1> Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 288.
<2> King & Country, “The Proof of Your Love,” YouTube, 14 September 2012, Accessed 22 October 2020, https://youtu.be/b-2dKOfbC9c.
<3> Himes, The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism, “Chapter Five: Church,” Kindle.
<4> Ibid.

References:
1. Eubank, Nathan. First and Second Thessalonians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2019. Kindle.
2. Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
3. King & Country. “The Proof of Your Love.” YouTube, 14 September 2012. Accessed 22 October 2020. https://youtu.be/b-2dKOfbC9c.
4. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The living God, 205
2. The Holy Spirit, 686-747
3. The Ten Commandments, 2052-74
4. The two love commandments, 2055, 2083
5. Moral life a response to the Lord’s initiative of love, 2061-63

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm
Lectionary: 148

Reading 1
Exodus 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
“You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

“If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.”

Responsorial
Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Reading 2
1 Thessalonians 1:5C-10
Brothers and sisters:
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for all the believers
in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia,
but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Alleluia
John 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall 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 is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

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