In Matthews gospel, chapter 22, our Lord is asked to identify which of Gods commands is the first and greatest. This is surely no small question; whichever is first orients and informs all the others. Jesus, the Teacher of the human race par excellence, foremost prophet and interpret of the prophets, tells us solemnly that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This saying was originally given by Moses and recorded in Deuteronomy 6, and is probably the most solemn teaching in the Old Covenant. It affirms that there is one God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Revelation, of Tradition, of the Ecclesia, and that absolute devotion to him is the sine qua non of life. Our Lord goes on to list the second greatest commandment, closely related *but not identical to* the first: Love of neighbor as self, another less-solemn teaching of Moses found in Leviticus. I assume Pope Francis knows the seriousness of the first and greatest commandment. Denial or failure to recognize it is obviously gravely troubling. So, how is it possible that mistakes the second greatest for the greatest, in calling love of neighbor the first and greatest of the commandments in Evangelii Gaudium 161? Isnt it a kind of idolatry to supplant the primacy of God with man? Francis once said in a homily that “We can walk as much as we want, we can build many things, but if we do not profess Jesus Christ, things go wrong. We may become a charitable NGO, but not the Church, the Bride of the Lord.” Does not compute.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 05:51:24 +0000