What does the world of politics, advertising or social media say are the greatest commandments?
Me first.
Winning above all.
More money makes you happier.
Say whatever you need to, to get ahead.
Truth is of limited use.
Do someone a favour if they can repay you in the future.
Claim credit for whatever goes well.
Deny responsibility when things go wrong.
Examples of these cynical versions of the world’s great commandments are easy to come up with.
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Sunday’s gospel (Matt 22:34-46) offers a different perspective.
....a lawyer, asked him (Jesus) a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Jesus’ response is both traditional and orthodox. Deuteronomy 6:5 says Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength; and Leviticus 19:18 says. ... love your neighbor as yourself... What Pharisee or scribe was going to argue with him!
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When Matthew was writing to his small band of Jewish Christians, late in the first century, he wanted to stress the continuity between Jesus’ teaching and the Torah. While the Jews had expelled the Christians from their synagogues, Matthew stressed that Christians were following the Hebrew scriptures and were heirs to this tradition of Moses, David and Isaiah. This exchange was a proof point. Matthew saw the so-called “love commandment” as giving meaning and direction to the whole of Torah.
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Taking the first of these two commandments at face value is challenging. It demands everything - all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Think of your heart’s deepest and most passionate loves and try to imagine turning them to God. It is not easy.
All your soul is your way of being in this world. It demands love at all times and in all places. It says BE a Christian at every hour of the day in the way you walk and talk.
All you mind is particularly difficult in our world of social media, podcasts, cell phones and streaming services. These forms of media are so easy to use and addictive. Consider how different our lives would be if we devoted this time and attention to social media to God. This is a hard commandment for us to follow... not because we are unloving, but because we are distractible and curious.
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“Loving our neighbour as oneself” poses many challenges these days. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) there was one person at the side of the road who had been beaten and needed care. But we live in a world of need. In Toronto, one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, as we walk down streets, we encounter many people in need. Sometimes they have mental health issues; sometimes addictions. Perhaps they have been victims of ruthless landlords that forced them out of their homes or fraud that stole their savings. How do we love each one of this multitude as ourselves?
Good people answer this challenge in different ways. Some give their financial support to social agencies, such as Yonge Street Mission or Restorative Justice Housing, directly, or through the United Way. The services they support have expertise and networks for referral that can help those in need. Others want a more direct connection to those in need. They keep pockets full of change and give it to persons who are panhandling. (In an age when we do more transactions with debit or credit, having coins is rarer.) Borrowing a practice that began in India, a few adopt “personal beggars”. They single out someone with whom they develop a relationship and support that person regularly in an attempt to make a small difference in their lives.
At St. Aidan’s, we have Out of the Cold suppers, where we provide meals and hospitality to people who live on the economic and social margins. We get to know the guests by name and learn their stories. Nutrition is only part of what we provide: welcome is at least as important. Where we can, we also connect guests in need with other services. (The meals run every Monday from November 2, 2026 to the last Monday of April, 2027)
The East End Refugee Committee, in which St. Aidan’s has played a major role over almost 30 years, brings refugee families from war-torn regions of the world and supports them for at least a year with financing, clothing, accommodation and assistance in getting medical and educational support, as they transition to life in Canada. It is a huge commitment and takes the kind of wholehearted soul and mind that Christ commands in this gospel. (Few refugee families can fully adapt to life in Canada within a year, and the members of the committee stay in touch and continue the support long after the legal obligations end.)
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· When you look at the first great commandment and the totality of its demands, does it feel daunting or even impossible? Could you look at one aspect of it... all your mind, for instance .... and consider the amount of time you spend on social media and determine to refocus that time on YouTube videos of the lives of saints or to shut down the computer and do some form of spiritual reading, either of an article or book or of the psalms?... Make progress towards God, one step at a time.
· When you look at the second commandment, what is your personal approach? Do you bundle your efforts with those of others? Do you focus on helping someone – or some family – in particular? Do you spread your efforts around to help as many as you can? What matters most is that you follow through.
· Does Christianity feel separate from the Hebrew scripture to you, or does it feel like a continuation and fulfilment of the scripture? Do you look to the Old Testament for its harmony with the gospels? Or does it feel, at least partially, distinct?
Peace,
Deacon Michael