Jesus gives us the two dimensions of love: the vertical love of God and the horizontal love of neighbour.  A close look at Jesus’ response today reveals that Jesus presents us with the vertical dimension of love: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul….and your neighbour as yourself”.

Through Moses, God warns us: “You must not oppress the stranger or molest him…nor be harsh with the widow or with orphans”. God hates oppression and injustice, especially against the weak, the poor, and the defenseless.

God reminded his people to be conscious of their past experiences so that history would not repeat itself. They were not to forget the experience of being a minority without power in Egypt. They should therefore not oppress the stranger, because they were once strangers in the land. They must plead the cause of the underprivileged because they were once underprivileged, and, having felt the pain of injustice and oppression themselves, they must not inflict such pain on others.

In the second reading, Paul reminds the Thessalonian community of their former status as pagans and how they were liberated through the power of the Good News. Their liberation was a sign of God’s love for them. They reciprocated God’s love by their acceptance of the Good News.

The big challenge this poses for us today is that if we choose to live in peace, we must help our neighbours to live in peace. If we choose to live well, we must help others to live well too. For the value of one’s life is measured by the lives it touched positively.  May the love of God, which surpasses all human understanding, continue to reign in our hearts.

Your Priest,

Fr. Cyprian Ihedoro