30A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 22:34-40, October 29, 2023
1. STORY
Three women, who were at the well to get water, were talking about their
sons. There was an elderly man sitting
nearby who heard their conversation. The
first mother said her son was always the first in his class. The second mother
said her son sang beautifully. The third
mother said nothing. When asked by the
two mothers about her silence, she replied that her son had no special talents.
Just as the mothers were carrying their
two heavy water buckets home, the three sons appeared. The first boy recited a beautiful poem,
and the second one sang a beautiful song. The third boy helped his mother by carrying
the two heavy water buckets. The first
two women asked the elderly man what he thought of their sons. He asked them where their two sons were as he
saw only one son. The elderly man
continued by saying that a truly talented son is one who shows his love by his
actions.
2. GOSPEL: MATTHEW 22:34-40
A. THE QUESTION, WHICH IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?
A scholar of the law asked Jesus a very difficult question as there were over 100 important commandments in the Jewish religion. He wanted to know which one was the most important as this was a topic often discussed.
B. THE ANSWER - LOVE GOD, YOUR NEIGHBOR, AND YOURSELF
Without hesitation, Jesus answered this important question by telling
the scholar the most important command is to love God and then your neighbor as
yourself.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. LOVE GOD
The way to love our heavenly father is by obeying the ten commandments. We should thank him for the many blessings we receive from him each day. We ask him for the strength to follow the good example of Jesus.
B. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
We love our neighbor by our actions. We are kind, respectful, and patient with
others in our speech. We give our time
and use our talents to help others who are in need as the boy helped his mother
carry the heavy water buckets.
C. LOVE YOURSELF
We do this by caring for our health. We try to eat properly, exercise as much as
possible, get enough rest, and slow down our busy lives to the best of our
ability.
4. CONCLUSION
Only one of the three sons helped his mother by carrying the water
buckets. This is a true sign of filial
love. Love is shown by action. To
the question of what is the greatest commandment, Jesus’ answer was love God,
your neighbor, and yourself. We do this
in many ways by obeying the ten commandments, helping others by our words
and actions, and caring for our health by eating properly, getting enough
rest and slowing down the pace of our lives.
