Exiit qui seminat
The First and the Greatest Commandment
Today's first reading is from the Book of Exodus where the Lord gives the 10 Commandments (or the Decalogue "10 Words") to Moses on Mt. Sinai. While the 10 Commandments are certainly the foundation of Judeo-Christian morality, they are by no means an exhaustive list. Even the fact that most of the commandments are posited in the negative (Thou shall not ...) have meaning for us because it is far easier to tell someone what NOT to do, instead of listing all of the multiple things that as Catholic Christians we should do. Our Lord calls us deeper: to do good and to avoid evil. In chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus instructs His disciples and us about the expansive nature of the 10 Commandments:
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:22-24).
And when asked what was the greatest of the 10 Commandments, Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of avoiding sin and living out the Gospel. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us pray about what commandment we need to enter into more deeply and how, in our own unique way, we are being asked to love and serve our Lord and one another.
