The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 29, 2023
   Fr. José Maria de Sousa Alvim Calado Cortes, F.S.C.B.

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Sunday Reading Meditations

Jesus' answer to a scholar of the law who asked which commandment is he greatest was that he first is to love God above all things and the second is to love our neighbor (cf. Mt 22:35-38).  It is highly significant that he specifies that the measure of our love for our neighbor is our love for ourselves: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22:39).  Why does Jesus present the love of self as the measure of our love for our neighbor?  Would it not able enough to say to love our neighbor?

In expressing it this way, Jesus is declaring that the love of self is very important, for if we do not love ourselves, we cannot love our neighbor.

Love of self usually connotes pride, selfishness and egocentrism.  In ancient Greek mythology, the hunter Narcissus was known for his beauty and exceptionally pride.  One day he saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was a mere image.  Unable to tear himself away from the beauty of his reflection, narcissus wasted away, perished and was turned into the eponymous flower.

Of course, Jesus is not talking about narcissism.  He is not telling us to be centered on ourselves.  We are not the center of the world, even if we sometimes think we are.

The love of self hat Jesus refers to is based upon the love of God.  Our Lord is the center.  Christ says that to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind is the first and greatest commandment (cf. Mt 22:37).

True love of self comes from loving God.  God's presence imbues us with dignity and allows us to feel tenderness toward ourselves.  We were made by God and are sustained by him at every moment. Only when we accept God's love for us can we truly love ourselves and then others.

Without God's mercy and forgiveness, we would not be able to accept and love ourselves with all our sins.  We need to accept our story, our parents, our family, our circumstances and what we have been doing, both right and wrong.  Ultimately, we need to accept our life as it is, which is not easy.  It is especially difficult to accept the wrongs we have committed and the wrongs others have committed against us.

To encounter Christ allows us to discover the true meaning of the love of self.  To encounter the Son of God sheds new light upon us and enables us to anchor our lives in God's heart.

May Jesus teach us to make God the center of our lives and to love in a new way.  Amen.