First reading
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Exodus 22:20-26
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The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the sons of Israel this:
‘“You must not molest the stranger or oppress him, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. You must not be harsh with the widow, or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry; my anger will flare and I shall kill you with the sword, your own wives will be widows, your own children orphans.
‘“If you lend money to any of my people, to any poor man among you, you must not play the usurer with him: you must not demand interest from him.
‘“If you take another’s cloak as a pledge, you must give it back to him before sunset. It is all the covering he has; it is the cloak he wraps his body in; what else would he sleep in? If he cries to me, I will listen, for I am full of pity.”’
‘“You must not molest the stranger or oppress him, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. You must not be harsh with the widow, or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry; my anger will flare and I shall kill you with the sword, your own wives will be widows, your own children orphans.
‘“If you lend money to any of my people, to any poor man among you, you must not play the usurer with him: you must not demand interest from him.
‘“If you take another’s cloak as a pledge, you must give it back to him before sunset. It is all the covering he has; it is the cloak he wraps his body in; what else would he sleep in? If he cries to me, I will listen, for I am full of pity.”’
Second reading
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1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
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You observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, and you were led to become imitators of us, and of the Lord; and it was with the joy of the Holy Spirit that you took to the gospel, in spite of the great opposition all round you. This has made you the great example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia since it was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread – and not only throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us how we started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.
Gospel
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Matthew 22:34-40
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When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘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 neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’
Reflection
by Ma. Rosalina S. Flores
How many percentage of the Catholics can easily enumerate the Ten Commandments of God? One, two, fifty percent?
Jesus, fully aware of the people’s struggle in memorizing and obeying the Ten Commandments, has summarized these to two. Firstly, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Secondly, to love our neighbors as ourselves as we heard Jesus enumerated in today’s gospel. After summarizing, the big question now is, “how are we going to obey?”
Some might say that the first commandment about loving God is an easy thing to do. We usually think that as long as we go to church religiously, do charity works, and give tithes, we are fulfilling the first commandment. But, do not be deceived, the said good deeds can always be deadly. If we routinely do those without the pure intentions, we are just becoming lukewarm Catholics which Pope Francis summons us to avoid. We are called for more, to give our all in everything we do. May we imitate the poor widow who has given her all in her humble offering in the temple.
The second important and greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. In our world engrossed with “hugot” lines nowadays, this call becomes more difficult. People are afraid to open themselves to others and be attached to someone, instead dwell more with self love. We tend to stay in our comfort zones where only few and trusted people could see and feel our impact. That should not be the thing. We have to become like the butterfly which upon coming out of her cocoon, brings and spreads pollen to each and every flower she encounters along the way. The beautiful things, blessings, skills, and talents we have must be shared to others. Because in loving, we find our true purpose in this world.
On the contrary, even if Jesus has introduced us the two greatest commandments, we should not take for granted the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. These rules given to Moses by our Father should still be observed. How can you say you love God with all your might when you have killed somebody? How can you tell that you love your neighbors when you are committing adultery and ruining relationships? To love is to obey God's each and every commandment for the betterment of all.
Prayer
Jesus, fully aware of the people’s struggle in memorizing and obeying the Ten Commandments, has summarized these to two. Firstly, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Secondly, to love our neighbors as ourselves as we heard Jesus enumerated in today’s gospel. After summarizing, the big question now is, “how are we going to obey?”
Some might say that the first commandment about loving God is an easy thing to do. We usually think that as long as we go to church religiously, do charity works, and give tithes, we are fulfilling the first commandment. But, do not be deceived, the said good deeds can always be deadly. If we routinely do those without the pure intentions, we are just becoming lukewarm Catholics which Pope Francis summons us to avoid. We are called for more, to give our all in everything we do. May we imitate the poor widow who has given her all in her humble offering in the temple.
The second important and greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. In our world engrossed with “hugot” lines nowadays, this call becomes more difficult. People are afraid to open themselves to others and be attached to someone, instead dwell more with self love. We tend to stay in our comfort zones where only few and trusted people could see and feel our impact. That should not be the thing. We have to become like the butterfly which upon coming out of her cocoon, brings and spreads pollen to each and every flower she encounters along the way. The beautiful things, blessings, skills, and talents we have must be shared to others. Because in loving, we find our true purpose in this world.
On the contrary, even if Jesus has introduced us the two greatest commandments, we should not take for granted the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. These rules given to Moses by our Father should still be observed. How can you say you love God with all your might when you have killed somebody? How can you tell that you love your neighbors when you are committing adultery and ruining relationships? To love is to obey God's each and every commandment for the betterment of all.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, teach me to love You and my neighbor every day. I do not know exactly how to do it but with Your example, I know I will be guided. Amen.
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