Love Your Neighbour As Yourself

Tobit 6:11; 7:1,9-14; 8:4-8 & Mark 12:28-34

To most Catholics the word vocation means a calling to the priesthood or religious life. But there are many other vocations including marriage and the single life. Tobias and Sarah were fortunate for their vocation was made very clear to them by the intervention of an angel.

We are all called to serve God in some particular way during our life on Earth but how can we know what it is? The truth is that we cannot always know for certain! Blessed John Henry Newman said that it may only be in the next life that we are shown how we fitted into God's plan. But the prayer of Tobias may help us to see whether we are going in the right direction.

He begins by praising God, acknowledging God's infinite wisdom, and his desire is to do God's will. He is embarking on his vocation “in singleness of heart” (Jeremiah 32:39) with no reservations or second thoughts. Finally, it is to be a long-term commitment, and Tobias prays that God will give him the strength and help he needs to persevere in his vocation.

Tobias teaches us that prayer, work and commitment go hand in hand. Prayer must always be the starting point. If we are people of prayer, close to God, He will guide us in a useful direction. We are not all called to be priests and nuns, nor to be husbands or wives. But whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can ask God to help us to do it well.

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that all we have to do is to love God and to love our neighbour. It sounds so simple but is it? Loving God can seem easy. We have so many reasons for loving Him. He is goodness and kindness itself. But we must never forget that Jesus said, “If you love Me you will keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15).

Loving our neighbour can be even more difficult. You tell a man to love the person who murdered his wife; tell the daughter to love her father who is abusing her; tell the thousands of Syrians who have lost their loved ones and their homes to love those who have bombed them; tell the worker to love his boss or fellow worker who is constantly being bullied by them. Now it is most certainly not easy. Must all these people, and there are millions of them, love their neighbour?

How do we advise them? The answer is to be found more in the statement, “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 13: 34-35) rather than in “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mk. 12:31) How has Jesus loved us? No one was more ill-treated in this world than He Who deserved the utmost love and respect from everyone but we, men and women through our sins, nailed Him to a cross. Knowing beforehand how we would all treat Him He willingly went to the most cruel death so that we could have a home in His Father’s kingdom. When He was spat upon, brutally scourged, crowned with thorns, nailed to a cross He still loved each one of us and made excuses for us, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk 23-34).

If we do not love our enemy, our neighbour, we do not love God. Loving God and loving our neighbour are one. The two are one. As Saint John says, “How can you say you love God whom you cannot see and not love your neighbour whom you can see.” It was not easy for Jesus and it will not be easy for us.

Lord Jesus You are our example and inspiration. Help us to love our neighbour as You did.