Love of God Entails Love of Neighbor

The first reading of this Sunday is part of the so-called Book of Covenant (Ex 20:22-23:19), which contains a collection of mainly casuistic laws. These are secular laws that emerged from practice; they serve to build up a realistic social order in a particular historical and cultural situation. They are developed from the deposit of divine law, but are NOT directly divine law; as such they are subject to further development and even correction. Reading the Torah without understanding this background often causes people to question the doctrine of biblical inerrancy as some of these casuistic laws may appear dubious from the perspective of current moral standards.

Another form of law in the Pentateuch is the apodictic law. This code of law is pronounced in the name of God himself; as such it provides a platform for critiquing and revising the rules of casuistic law. Best known among the apodictic laws is the Decalogue. Interestingly, included in the Book of Covenant are two parts of the apodictic law: Ex 22:20, which is in the first reading, and Ex 23:9-12; both of which emphasize man's social responsibility for the marginalized: the aliens, the poor, the widowed, and the orphans. What is the significance of all this? Read on.

The fundamental norm in the Torah, on which everything depends, is the exclusive worship of the one God, YHWH. Love of God, to put it simply, overshadows everything. The inclusion of the social responsibility for the poor, widows, orphans, and aliens means that love of neighbor is just as important as love of God. The two commandments are inseparable and intertwined. For what is love of God without love of neighbor? “Neighbor” is understood in this context as recognition of God's immediate presence in the weak and poor.

Jesus affirmed this teaching clearly in the gospel reading when he put together the two commandments: first, “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”; and second, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:37, 39). The theological dimension of love, fixated as it is on God, is without substance unless it is complemented by its social dimension, i.e. love of neighbour. It is only when we love in this way that love is expressed in its truest and fullest form. No wonder Jesus went so far as to say, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" (Mt. 22:40).

References:
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Book 1, pp.122-127.
R. Hamel and K. Himes, Introduction to Christian Ethics – A Reader, pp. 10-13.