HOMILY FROM CANON STEPHEN BAILLIE
30th Sunday of A20
Love
The Pharisees continue their harassment of Jesus in today’s Gospel; by asking him which commandment is the greatest. What follows is the most famous verses in the NT: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul … And … You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love is the greatest commandment and this is a radical statement. Because this love is agape love, ie. A love of those we don’t even know or even like! It is a love that binds all of humanity.
We cannot separate love of God and neighbour; they are like two sides of a coin; they only work together. If we do not treat others with compassion, then how can we say we love God? Jesus often spoke about approaching the altar whilst holding a grudge against someone and continuously challenged those who were hypocrites. Those critical of social justice movements in the church often say we should not be involved in doing ‘social work’. But this is exactly what we must do because this is HOW we love God, by loving our neighbour who is suffering, who is oppressed, who is in pain. We can love God and love people, there does not have to be an either or.
Celebrating the Eucharist not only reminds us that we are invited to be guests; it also reminds us that we are given the freedom to invite others to be guests as well. We should be always asking ourselves ‘who isn’t at the table?’ Their absence, for a myriad of reasons, diminishes our gathering around the altar. This is the sacred space of welcome, inclusion, hospitality, forgiveness, sacrifice, sacrament, communion, celebration and where no-one should ever feel that they are a stranger.
There is a beautiful practice in India of using the mystical phrase ‘NAMASTE’ in greetings, which means: ‘the Divine in me greets the Divine in you’. Usually this is accompanied by a deep bow towards the person. How wonderful it would be to really see God present in each other and, more importantly, in those that society would rather cast aside. In this way we are being true to the greatest commandment.
‘May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the other love that you have been given to you.’
St Therese of Lisieux
