Love until it hurts

Today, we read of the well-known story of the Greatest Commandment in the Law of Moses. When a Pharisaic scribe asked Jesus which the greatest commandment among the 613 laws was, Jesus answered him with ease by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5. "Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37). Of course, the quote was not exact because in Hebrew, it was "with all your might וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ" and Septuagint it was also "might ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου" instead of "with all your mind ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου". That is to say, LXX translates the Hebrew original faithfully while the New Testament Greek chooses another word. Anyway, let the biblical scholars settle this difference and let us continue.

Jesus continued to quote the Leviticus 19:18 to give the second greatest commandment. This is the famous "Love your neighbour as yourself." (22:39)  Many people miss an important point in the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, Jesus countered the Devil only with quotations from Deuteronomy. He did not use his own authority. Similarly, when Jesus answered the challenges from the Jewish authority, he made use of materials which the `Jews were familiar. Jesus did not teach them new things, things which they had not heard of. Jesus adapted to their level of understanding. Therefore, it is a happy misunderstanding to say that Jesus taught us to love our neighbour as ourselves. No, Jesus did not. He only reminded what the Jews had already known from the Old Testament. People who say this is unfamiliar with the Bible as well as Jesus' MO in his public ministry.

The second greatest commandment is the only way we can fulfill the first greatest commandment. Doing the second commandment is the only concrete way we can love God who is a spirit. John was probably the first apostle to interpret this when he wrote,
"If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 John 4:20)
Of course, Jesus also left us the Parable of Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) to encourage us to serve the poor and the needy. In serving these needy people, we will be able to serve God. Still, these two commandments belong to the Old Testament. People would naturally ask what makes the New Covenant superior to the Old. Well, during the Last Supper, Jesus gave a new commandment quite similar to the Old Law,
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you" (John 13:34).
So, what is the difference between the Old commandment and the New commandment? How is the New superior to the Old?
"For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it" (Ephesians 5:29).
In short, when you love yourself, you nourish and cherish yourself. You will not hurt yourself. When you love your neighbour as yourself, you nourish and cherish your neighbour. Yet, you love within your capacity so as not to hurt yourself. However, if we love as Jesus has loved, we must love until it hurts because Jesus has sacrificed himself to die on the cross for us. Here lies the difference. Christian love is to do good until it hurts.

Not only is it unpopular, it also hurts to be paternalistic for the good of people. Blessed Pope Paul VI was one such example. This evening, the Hong Kong Diocese celebrated the Beatification of Pope Paul VI. In recounting his many contributions to the modernization of the Church, Cardinal John Tong fondly remembered how he was ordained by the Supreme Pontiff. In his encyclical Humanæ Vitæ, Paul VI insisted on the traditional teaching against artificial contraception, contrary to the majority recommendation of the theologians. This made him unpopular. He must have been deeply hurt because few people appreciated his love and concern for the good of his flock. Relaxation on the use of artificial contraceptives pleases the crowd and brings them convenience. However, such practices objectify women and promote a culture of death. It will bring people away from God, rather than drawing them near. This is a perspective new to me. It requires a moral man of steel to be able to uphold an unpopular, yet beneficent traditional teaching. Blessed Pope Paul VI is such a man of steel.

Dear Lord, we thank you for sending us a blessed pastor to shepherd us. May his intercessions draw us close to you. Amen.