Homily 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A I Homily 25 October 2026

 

25 Oct Exodus 22:20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10; Matthew 22:34-40

 

My dear friends, is it possible to pray every day, attend Mass regularly and still fail to recognise the suffering of the person standing right beside us? On this Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, Jesus reminds us that the true measure of our love for God is inseparable from the way we love and treat our neighbour.

The Book of Exodus describes how God formed the Israelites into a people after freeing them from slavery in Egypt. After receiving the Ten Commandments, they were given further laws to guide their life as a community. Today’s first reading focuses on protecting strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor, who were especially vulnerable in ancient society. The Israelites are reminded that they too were once strangers in Egypt and experienced oppression. Having suffered themselves, they must not allow others to suffer in the same way. God warns that He will hear the cries of widows and orphans when they are mistreated, thus revealing a God who does not remain distant from human suffering but stands with the vulnerable. The passage also teaches that compassion must be practical. A person who lends money to the poor must not exploit their helplessness by charging interest. Even a poor person's cloak, taken as security for a loan, must be returned before sunset because it may be their only protection against the cold. Human dignity must always take priority over material gain. This passage invites us to examine how we treat the vulnerable in our own society. Migrants, daily-wage workers, and struggling families may be easily ignored or exploited. Sometimes, we judge people without understanding their difficulties. Our faith is not measured only by how we pray, but also by how we treat those who have the least. God calls us to recognise the dignity of every person, stand up against injustice, and respond with compassion. The question we must ask ourselves is: Do our words and actions make life easier or more difficult for those who are already struggling?

In the second reading taken from St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul praises the Christians of Thessalonica for their strong faith and commitment to the Gospel. Although they faced difficulties and persecution, they welcomed God's Word with joy, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Thessalonians became an example for other Christian communities. Their changed lives and commitment to Christ were so evident that news of their faith spread to other places. They turned away from idols to serve the living and true God and began living with hope in Jesus Christ, whom they believed would return. This passage reminds us that genuine faith must be visible in the way we live. It is easy to call ourselves Christians, attend Mass, and participate in Church activities. However, the real question is whether our faith influences our attitudes, decisions, and relationships. Like the Thessalonians, we may face difficulties, criticism, or opposition because of our beliefs. St. Paul encourages us to remain faithful and joyful even in challenging situations. The best way to proclaim the Gospel is to live it so faithfully that others can recognise Christ through us.

A young man once asked a priest, “Father, how can I show God that I love him?” The priest replied, “Start by loving the person who irritates you the most!” The young man had expected the priest to recommend more prayers, novenas, or visits to the church, but the priest reminded him that our love for God must also be visible in the way we treat people.

In today’s Gospel, a Pharisee asks Jesus, “Teacher, which commandment in the Law is the greatest?” Jesus answers by bringing together two commandments from Deuteronomy and Leviticus in the Old Testament: love God with your whole being and love your neighbour as yourself. For Jesus, these two commandments summarise the Law and the Prophets. They are not separate obligations but two dimensions of one life of faith. What does it mean to love God completely? Jesus uses three words: heart, soul and mind. In Greek, kardia means the heart, the centre of our desires, intentions and decisions. Loving God with all our heart means giving him first place in our lives. God should not be an afterthought, remembered only when we are in trouble or when we need something. Often, we become so absorbed in our careers, ambitions, and personal happiness that God gets whatever time is left over. To love God completely means allowing him to shape our priorities and choices. The Greek word psychē, translated as soul, refers to our life or very being. Loving God with our soul means placing our entire life at his disposal. Our faith is not limited to Sunday Mass or daily prayers; it must influence our relationships, work and responsibilities. The word dianoia, translated as mind, refers to our understanding, thought and reasoning. Loving God with our mind means seeking to understand his Word, examining our attitudes and allowing the Gospel to challenge our prejudices. Faith involves not only our emotions but also our thinking and decisions. Jesus is not asking us to divide our love into three parts; he is asking us to give God our whole selves—our desires, our lives and our thoughts.

Jesus, however, doesn’t stop with only loving God. He immediately adds the second commandment: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Our neighbour is not simply someone we like or someone who belongs to our community. It includes the poor, the vulnerable, those who are different from us and even those with whom we disagree. God demands more than personal kindness; he demands justice. In our daily lives, we love our neighbour when we treat workers with dignity, pay them fairly, refuse to spread messages that demean others, stand up against injustice, and respect those whose opinions differ from ours. Loving our neighbour is not merely about being kind to people; it also means refusing to participate in what harms them. Ultimately, we cannot claim to love God while remaining indifferent to human suffering. Prayer must lead to action, worship to compassion, and faith to justice. The real test of our love for God is how we treat his people. So, let us ask ourselves: Does God truly occupy the centre of my life? Does my love for him make me more compassionate, just and respectful towards others? Remember, love is not merely something we profess; it is something we live. May God bless us all.