Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Today’s Gospel reading revolves around one question: “Which commandment of the Law is the greatest?” Another way to put this question is to ask, “What do I need to do to achieve salvation?” Sound likes a reasonable question, or at least fits in with our desire to find an instant solution to a problem. The only problem is serving God takes a lot more than a simple action. Love God with your whole mind, your whole heart, and your whole soul, and love your neighbor as yourself, is more an attitude in life than a list of things to do[1].

The poet Maya Angelou was once asked what her lifetime goals were. She answered, oh boy! that she wanted to become a Christian. Maya Angelou is Christian. Her point is that Christianity is an ongoing process of becoming. Every day we take steps to becoming a Christian. And everyday God uses people to find him[2]. You know, people use to ask the wrong question: they often ask, “Where is God?” They should ask, “When is God?” the answer is that God is present when we love him and when we love our neighbor.

I would like to remember this morning the life of a marvelous woman who became God’s vehicle of love. She certainly didn’t start that way. She lived a very lose lifestyle in the 1920's. She had a baby out of marriage, then married, and then divorced. She became a communist, the darling idealism of time. She was no Mother Theresa. In fact, she was the antithesis of Mother Theresa.

But then this woman found God. Actually, He was always there. She just stopped shutting him out of her life. She became a fervent Catholic and a dedicated Christian. In a short period she led a reform within the establish Church of America to reach out to the poor, the needy and the desperate. She was a supporter for social justice and a pacifist.

During her life people suggested that she would be made a saint by the church. She used to say that she didn’t want to be dismissed so easily. After all people tend to view saints as doing that which is beyond normal human life. She was really quite normal, and she wanted normal people to join her in finding Christ in others. Her point was that there was nothing extraordinary in doing what she did. All she did was love God and love neighbor, the ordinary way every Christian should live. The lady I am referring to is Dorothy Day. She has often been called the saint for the third millennium. If you all want to know more about her life, just put her name on Google –Dorothy Day- there is much information, an exemplary Christian life!

…in fewer words, the law and the prophets are summed up by loving God and loving neighbor. This is not something over and above our daily lives. It is the foundation, the structure of our lives. It is that which makes us who we are. Loving God and loving neighbor are the heart of our daily lives, the springboard of our actions, the basis of our decisions, the reason for our prayer life, the motivation of our lifestyle and the very reason why we are here this morning…

Which commandment is the greatest? Well, the commandment to be so close to God that we become His presence for others.

Let us pray together today that we might love God with our whole heart, our whole mind and whole soul, then we will have no choice but to bring God’s love to those around us ■

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[1] Sunday 23rd October, 2011, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Readings: Exodus 22:20-26. I love you, Lord, my strength—Ps 17(18):2-4, 47, 51. 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10. Matthew 22:34-40 [St John of Capistrano].

[2] Maya Angelou born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928) is an American author and poet who have been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly acclaimed, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her first seventeen years. It brought her international recognition, and was nominated for a National Book Award. She has been awarded over 30 honorary degrees and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie.