Love men in order to love God

Historians and social scientists would see Christianity as an outgrowth of Judaism. To a certain extent, they are correct. Christians and Jews share half of the Bible and they keep the same Ten Commandments. What is more, the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, was himself a Jew, even a respectable Rabbi though Jesus was by trade a carpenter.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scripture, in particular the book of Deuteronomy, very well. When he was tempted by the Devil during his fasting in the wilderness, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer the Tempter. Today, we read of the story of a Jewish Rabbi who challenged him to name which is the first commandment of all "Ποία ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη πάντων; ", Jesus answered again from the Deuteronomy, the famous "Shema Israel".
Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:29-30, Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
Today, I will not talk about the extra "with all your mind" Jesus inserted into Shema Israel. In fact, the Rabbi challenger was closer to the Deuteronomy original in Mark 12:33. Interested readers might also compare the Matthean and Lucan versions of the same story and try to explain why the Evangelists reported different sayings from the same Jesus! It will be a good Synoptic Gospel assignment ... etc.

No. Today, I want to focus on this total love of God --- "to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength". Naturally, one shall wonder if there is any room and any time to love anybody else. We all live in a web of relationships, some of which may be instrumental. However, there must be some relationships in which genuine love is nurtured, for example parents and children, husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends and comrades etc. If we follow this commandment literally, we will become very selfish to those who love us because we love God so completely that we have no room to reciprocate. In real life, other than monks, nuns and religious fanatics, who can love God so totally? Therefore, the Shema Israel is an impossible commandment for ordinary people.
Here, Jesus provides us with an escape clause. He continues to teach the second commandment.
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:18b)
The significance of the second commandment is first revealed in the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:30-37 and in the Last Judgment story in Matthew 25:31-46. The needy are our neighbour. When we help the needy, we are serving the Jesus Christ present in them. Now that Christ has come to us, it is possible to follow the Shema Israel literally because when we love the needy, we are loving Christ who is God. Blessed Mother Teresa and her nuns are doing just this. God would not command us to do things beyond our capability to do. The Son of God incarnated to put on our humanity to become a lowly needy man. He taught us to love the needy and our enemies. Commandments and laws are not able to uplift us. The Age of Law is over. Christ has come to inaugurate a new age, the Age of Grace in which He gives us grace to seek God's will, to partake in God's eternal life. Now, we may love men in order to love God.

It is a bit unsatisfying to bark about love. No. we should not just talk about love. Instead, we should do it. Action speaks louder than words. So, just do it.

Dear Lord, I thank You for making God's commandments practicable. May I be generous enough to answer Your call. Amen.