Gospel
Reflection
Matthew 22:34-40
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When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
There is a lot of talk about something called a commandment. A commandment is a type of rule that God has given us.
Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. Can you remember what he says?
Jesus says the greatest and the first commandment is that we should love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind.
Let’s think quietly for a moment about this. When we love someone we try to show this in the way that we treat them. How do you think you can show that you love God?
We can show that we love God when we pray - by giving thanks and praise to God. And by remembering all that God asks us to do. We can also show our love for God by trying to behave in a way that pleases God. This is where the second commandment comes in. Can you remember what it was?
Jesus asks us to love our neighbour as ourselves. When Jesus asks us to love our neighbour, do you think he just means the person who lives next door? Who else is our neighbour?
Our neighbours are the people sitting next to us right now, as well as all the people in the same street, at school and at church, in our town and in our world. After all, we’re all part of the same big global family. And we’re all loved by God.
Some neighbours live close to us and some live far away. But Jesus asks us to love them all as we love ourselves. What do you think this means?
Jesus wants us to treat other people as we would want to be treated, to make sure all people are treated fairly, and have what they need. How do you think we can do that?