Christianity is about more than morality. Mahatma Gandhi was once asked about his thoughts on Christianity. In response, he drew a stone from the river next to him and broke it open. Inside, the rock was dry. He said, “I think Christians are kind of like this. You live in the midst of a wonderful set of teachings, but you do not let it penetrate your hearts. So, you live as if you were not Christians.”
First Commandments
In today’s Gospel (Mk. 12:28-34), we hear Jesus answer the scribe’s question about the first of all the commandments. In the time of Jesus, Jewish rabbis tried to summarize the Law. As there were 613 commandments, it was helpful to be able to come up with a shorter list. Jesus condensed the Law into these two expressions: “love God above all else,” and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
One mistake that many people make about Christianity is reducing it to a moral code. For some, today’s formulation to “love our neighbor” is seen more as a rule than a way of life. In reality, Jesus gives us these commandments because he invites us to a personal relationship with him. Christianity is not about being a good and moral person. Christianity is about growing in our relationship with God. He wants us to grow in our relationship with him because this is the path to beatitude, to true happiness.
Just a Moral Code?
The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1723).
Christianity is not a moral code but it does contain a moral code. It is founded, however, in a relationship. This reminds me of how an individual changes when he or she enters a relationship. Friends always notice when someone from their friend group brings someone new into his or her life, often because a lot of things tend to change. Perhaps before, there was no problem coming up with spontaneous plans on a Saturday. But when there is commitment to a marriage, the spouse must be taken into account. That commitment, that relationship, has other implications for their lives.
Growing in Our Relationship with God
In the same way, when we grow in our relationship with God, we take on certain commitments due to the nature of the relationship. So, what are some ways to make sure that we love God above all else?
Sacraments
Let’s start with the sacraments. Through our baptism, we become adopted sons and daughters of God. We enter into relationship with God and the Church in a special way. Coming to Mass on Sunday is a core way in which we live out this relationship. This is why we need to do it every week. Sacramental confession is the main method by which we repair our relationship with God. Likewise, all the sacraments help us live out our commitment to God.
Prayer
Then, we can look at daily prayer. FOCUS talks about a simplified version of lectio divina which we can all do every day. You take a Gospel passage and look for a word to pop out at you. Hold on to that word and pray with it. Finally, ask God about something that needs to change in your life. If you do this every day for 5, 10, 15 minutes, your life will change for the better.
Service
Beyond living the sacraments and committing to daily prayer, we should make sure to serve others. This is part of what Christ commands when he says, “love your neighbor.” This is not something theoretical, but rather something that we are called to live out every day of our lives. We have plenty of opportunities to serve the poor. It’s also great to mentor somebody. Or, maybe for you it looks like something as simple as offering to cook dinner for the other people you live with. All of these can be acts of service and great ways to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Life Choices
Pope Francis reflects on the importance of making good choices in his recent encyclical, Dilexit Nos.
Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I, really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give to my life, my decisions and my actions? Why and for what purpose am I in this world? How do I want to look back on my life once it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? Who do I want to be for others? Who am I for God? All these questions lead us back to the heart (Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos, 8).
Christianity cannot be reduced to a set of moral precepts. Nevertheless, our relationship with Christ does call for a certain lifestyle. The way we love affects the way we live, just as the way we live affects the way we love. When we really love Jesus, it should affect every aspect of our lives.
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