It is not possible to love an invisible Creator while ignoring the very visible needs of the people around us. Michael Bachmeier, SJ reflects on how loving our neighbor isn’t an optional extra credit assignment, but the concrete measure of our love for God. Based on the readings for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
It is easy to think of “loving God” as something abstract—something we do quietly in prayer. But today’s readings make it clear that our love for God is measured directly by how we treat the people around us.
In the Gospel, Jesus gives us the two greatest commandments: Love God completely, and love your neighbor as yourself.
If we want to know what that looks like in practice, today’s first reading from Exodus tells us. God gets incredibly specific: Do not mistreat the foreigner. Do not exploit the widow or the orphan. Protect the poor.
Jesus bridges these readings perfectly. He shows us that loving our neighbor isn’t an optional extra credit assignment. It is how we love God. We cannot say we love the invisible Creator if we ignore the very visible needs of God’s children.
This week, look for the overlooked. When we love them, we are loving Jesus.
