Only Quality is binding. No forced compliance
(Mt 22:34–40)
Jesus turns what was the most trivial of catechism questions into a crucial issue: what is the ‘great’ commandment?
Despite the various theological schools of thought, the answer was known to all: the Sabbath rest, the only precept observed (even) by God.
The question put to the Master by the expert in the Law was not so innocent, but ‘to test him’ (Mt 22:35; Lk 10:25) – that is, to retort: ‘So why, then, do you not fulfil the Sabbath commandment?’
Christ simplifies the tangled web of disputes concerning the expansion or reduction of theoretical casuistry, and gets to the heart of the matter.
Always averse to doctrinal squabbles, He proposes a way of life as the unifying principle of the demands of the Covenant.
All rules have an essence; otherwise, they remain a scattered jumble. They find their spontaneous foundation and natural meaning in the gift of self – though a motivated one.
But what is the solid foundation and context of such an invitation? A vague feeling, one emotion amongst many, a passing impulse? Philanthropy? Or an experience?
We are thirsty for affection and offer friendship in fits and starts, to the extent that love becomes a source of misunderstandings, rooted in the need to feel complete.
This is why the second commandment appears as an explanation of the first, not a reduction of it [Mt 22:39; Mk 12:31; Lk 10:27].
In the ancient world, it made no sense to speak of love for God, the ineffable Mystery.
It was the Most High who favoured certain individuals by bestowing material fortune upon them, and these individuals recognised a duty of worship and sacrifice towards Him.
The same applied to the less fortunate, at least to avoid reprisals (and to keep him on their side).
With Jesus, we speak openly of gratuitousness – not mere gratitude – as the unifying core of both the individual and the history of salvation.
The idea of an exchange of favours comes to an end.
The Father needs nothing; He does not take pleasure in seeing us submissive or in feeling recognised [a pattern of pagan religiosity] as a sovereign might towards his subjects.
The relationship with the Eternal One remains concrete, but honour towards the Most High is manifested by embracing His plan for the good and growth of humankind, and by recognising oneself within it.
God’s plan unfolds… with a living urgency. But there is a Starting Point, a Centre and a Destination. In reality, a new Genesis.
In any case, only God’s initiative draws out the best in us: more talent, more desire, more interests, more untapped abilities, more originality – rather than torments that hurt the soul.
This is the difference between a form of religiosity that dulls the personality, and Faith.
Through Faith, a special creative Relationship is kindled: that of the one who welcomes the Call by Name, as well as the proposals from the very Source of being – wave upon wave.
These proposals anticipate our own initiatives and guide us infallibly towards the perfect blossoming of our own and others’ Seed.
Particularly in Matthew (22:38–39) and Mark (12:29–31), it is clear that love for one’s neighbour stems from the experience and awareness of being loved first and without preconditions by God – looked upon, accepted, valued, uplifted, rejoiced in, and made whole.
We love not through effort [effort is a coercive lever: it produces situations that make life worse] but on the basis of how much we feel loved – and with immediacy, repeatedly, unconditionally.
We love on the basis of the ‘risking everything’ that we have already experienced in our own favour through Providence, which gives meaning and value to human actions.
Not out of infatuation with external, induced expectations – which, in any case, belong to others.
Even in the spiritual realm, quite a few behaviours deemed capable of solving problems often end up making them chronic.
In this way, they rely on an idea of permanence – not on the dynamic of vocational gratuitousness, on the unimaginable Gift to be received.
So the issue is either to live according to the resources that come our way, or to fall into the distortion of models typical of a moralistic mindset.
In fact, the notion of omnipotence in the realm of good, paradoxically, stifles the self and its strengths, and distorts its perspective.
But beyond all these nuances, we are heartened that the first and second commandments concern Love: what we most desire to give and receive. It is a vital necessity of life.
Yet we must be wise, so that the framework of paradigms or the impulses of natural affection and impulsiveness do not overwhelm and sweep away – turning upside down – every good intention.
Love cannot bear an excess of expectations, for it springs from an experience of Perfection that comes to us; offered, unexpected, unpredictable. Not staged according to a chain of ordinary, pre-determined plans.
If it is authentic, over time we shall experience its blossoming; not in anticipation of a return, but first and foremost as a Gift beyond time. For it has already sated and convinced us – with contemplative wonder – and made us leap for joy.
Thus, the vocational and foundational Eros will continue to shape us, with its perpetually exploratory virtue, capable of bringing about new Births.
Personal energy – without the usual baggage of torment, reservations, outward appearances… and (once again) frowns.
The Great Commandment: only profound Quality is binding
The only disposition in which the Father recognises Himself is Love, in its fullness and in every respect; not some particular precept.
For Jesus, there are no hierarchies in the affairs of God and man – indeed, He showed a marked tendency to summarise the many principles – because only profound Quality is binding.
The Master’s spiritual teaching embraced the narrative of the people of God and the practice of the Prophets: all heart, feet, hands – and intellect.
Complete love for God must envelop the creature in every decision [heart].
Likewise, in every moment and aspect of one’s concrete ‘life’, it must also engage all one’s resources [strengths: cf. Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27].
Deut 6:5 (Hebrew text) in fact reads: ‘with all your “very much”’, meaning concrete participation in both liturgical life and material fellowship – providing for and helping with one’s own possessions.
Matt 22:37 does not explicitly mention this latter aspect, perhaps to emphasise that the Father does not drain one’s energy in any way, but rather imparts it.
But Jesus adds to the nuances of authentic communion with God enumerated in the First Testament an unexpected dimension for those who conceive of love as a delicate, purely emotional sentiment.
The Lord suggests the study, discernment and understanding of our perceptions [Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27], accompanied by the mental aspect and profound intelligence (which is excluded in Deut 6).
At first glance, this seems like a secondary facet or even a mere embellishment for the qualitative leap from a common religious sense to a life of Faith wisely and personally shaped.
The exact opposite is true: we are children of a Father who does not supplant us, nor does He absorb our potential or energies, thereby depersonalising us; not even from a mental perspective.
This is a crucial aspect of our dignity and fulfilment – including our human fulfilment – and a specific distinguishing feature in discerning Faith in Christ, as opposed to all other approaches devoted to the search for the Absolute (whatever that may be).
Practicality alone renders us fragile and lacking in awareness; and when we are not convinced, we cannot even be relied upon, remaining perpetually at the mercy of changing circumstances and the conformist, fashionable opinions of others.
It is not uncommon to shy away from the all-encompassing engagement that would enrich each of us – precisely because of incompetence.
But we are not one-sided gullible souls. Being attentive and up to date, and possessing the capacity for critical thought, is an essential expansion required for the development of one’s human, moral, cultural and spiritual vocation.
Trivialities, superficial identifications, impersonal plagiarism and thoughtless, collective repetitions hinder the flow of life, this divine cascade of everlasting energy that pulses and never ceases.
On the contrary, it comes with stirring calls: it calls us to open ourselves wide to new attractions in relationships and other interests, including intellectual ones; even denominational ones.
Jesus does not speak of love for God in terms of intimacy and sentiment, but of a wholly all-encompassing affinity, made less uncertain precisely by the development of our wisdom in assessing these matters.
Devotion swallows everything up. Faith, on the other hand, does not allow itself to be swayed by local or external influences: it presupposes an ability to engage competently in personal assessments or in debates within the community and on a broader scale – both historical and contemporary.
The witness of our Hope does not shy away from being enriched by dialogue with those who possess greater expertise in psychology or biblical studies, specialised pastoral care and social work, as well as archaeology, bioethics, economics, science and so on.
This is a commitment that demonstrates a genuine interest in the Sacred [admittedly, all aspects to be assessed, not as if they were merely academic options].
But we must admit that one of the most organic expressions of great Catholic theology is what was once called the ‘doctrine’ of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In the existence of Love, the primacy (including the relational primacy) of the Gift of the Spirit was recognised, which complemented the ‘natural’ possibilities of expression of the cardinal and theological virtues, leading them to fulfilment.
No fewer than four of the seven Gifts were associated with a character of profound knowledge: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel and Knowledge.
In short: here lies yet another decisive rendezvous for all-encompassing Love.
Anyone can indulge in a few remarks along religious lines [whether as an individual or within a circle], but the ability to delve into the matter properly belongs only to those who have sought to examine and live out these themes – because they are more interested in understanding the Face of God and His Plan for humanity than in reiterating false narrative certainties.
It would be unnatural to recognise a Lord of Heaven who does not come to meet us; as if He were towering above us with ‘His own’ objective (external to us) and thus rendering us all marginal.
[In sects – even those that appear good-natured – it is forbidden to delve deeper in order to understand: the position is already established; the candidate must ‘merely’ conform].
‘As (and why) yourself’ [meaning of the Greek text: Mt 22:39; Mk 12:31; Lk 10:27]: this is a new Birth into life, a new Genesis in the spirit of Gift.
The paradox suggested by Jesus goes beyond the ancient precept of Lev 19:18.
We love not only the children of our own people, ‘simply because’ we take care to come together and wish to enrich ourselves together, expanding the ‘I’ into the ‘You’.
God’s ‘Great Commandment’ encompasses real life and concerns not only the quality of our relationship with the world and our neighbour, but also our reflective relationship with ourselves.
We must not be afraid of other doctrines and disciplines, nor neglect analytical challenges beyond the ‘organic’ ones – those of the long term.
All of them call into question our beliefs, our actions, our own worldview; our language, style, and thought itself.
We still have a great need to broaden our minds and become as vast as a panorama. And to reharmonise the opposites we carry within us.
Hidden facets and pearls to which we have not yet given breath or visibility – and which we may never have considered as allies.
The troubled fate shared by prophets remains unique, but it is not certainties (whether ancient, sophisticated, fashionable or à la page) that constitute the added value of the adventure of Faith in Love – rather, it is the risk of placing oneself in the balance and a comprehensive re-evaluation.
It is, moreover, pointless to complain if ecclesial realities that fail to keep up with the times, and remain mired in inherited clichés, slowly decay and thus disappear.
Despite their dazzling heritage and fairy-tale events.
In this way, the ‘teacher of the law’ is perhaps already close [Mk 12:34; Lk 10:28] but must still keep an eye on Jesus, to understand in Him the broader meaning of total self-giving, in its specifically personalised form, which is by no means naïve.
The Lord restores the meaning of the norms to their profound and original function: to serve as a provision for every Encounter that elevates events, people of every background, and creation itself.
In conclusion, experience and ritual find their centre in the reciprocity of love.
Life in all its facets becomes a Liturgy more meaningful than the established act of worship; its truly broken Bread becomes a compelling call to Communion and Mission.
Even if it does not make the news, the true barometer of our journey will not be the volume or the pile of important things we do, but rather the beating of a regenerated heart and mind.
This is why, to the ancient notes of true Love, the Son of God adds the quality of thought: we are not gullible, naive or one-sided.
Our outstretched hands are the fruit of a free and conscious choice. There is no forced submission.
‘A faith that does not become culture is a faith that has not been fully embraced, not entirely thought through, not faithfully lived’ [John Paul II].
To internalise and live out the message:
What is Great to you? Titles? Possessions, power, appearances?
In your experience of Love, what is the Starting Point, the Centre and the Destination?
Do you keep yourself informed and up to date so that you can better respond to God’s Call?
