1. The first reading is Mark 12:28-31, where Jesus sums up the heart of his religion:
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
It's clear from this passage that love is at the very heart of his spirituality. And not just love, but the love of others. His message is at the same time inherently personal and social in nature. How we relate to others is foundational to Jesus’ way of life and that of religion in general. And taken in the context of the rest of the New Testament, the more we abide by this commandment, the more we collectively come closer towards what's often called the kingdom of heaven, i.e., a society characterized by abundance, justice, equality, mercy, love, and peace (see Micah 6:8 and Isaiah 2:1-5).
2. The next passage on my list is Luke 6:20-45:
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.
Love of Enemies. “But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.
Judging Others. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” And he told them a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.
A Tree Known by Its Fruit. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
The Two Foundations. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”
The heart of this passage is transformative justice and reflects Micah 6.8, and it depicts the ideal morality of Jesus stemming from the causal relationships of nature itself. It acknowledges that the world we have evolved in and created for ourselves is often harsh and unfair, a world in which good people are often treated unjustly. But there's also a hopeful message, that eventually those who are poor, hungry, and hated will have an equal place in the better world we are to create, while those who lived in luxury at the privation and oppression of others will be unhappy because their privilege will be no more. It speaks to the socio-economic needs of the people. But it doesn't end with harsh words for the world's exploiters and oppressors, because hate and violence only serve to poison our own hearts and make us like them, causing us to harm others in a cycle of violence. Instead, it ends with an appeal to live differently, to love and care for those who harm us, to treat others as we wish to be treated. It asks us to develop compassion and have mercy for others, and to refrain from judging them, even those who do us harm. We all have our faults, and we must work to train our own hearts and minds and actions before we can have the wisdom and spiritual maturity to go out and help others, too. And just as you'll know a good person by their good deeds, the goodness of your own heart will be known to others by the fruits of your good deeds. And a better, more just world can only be built upon the foundation of just hearts and just actions, not cycles of oppression and violence.
3. The third passage on my list is also from Luke, Luke 10:29-37:
The Parable of the Good Samaritan. But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
This passage is directly related to Mark 12:28-31, the summation of Jesus' message. The greatest thing we can do is to love our neighbour as ourselves. And here Jesus is asked 'who is my neighbour'? His reply is basically everyone, but particularly those who are in need. And to really highlight the depth, complexity, and universality of this message, the person Jesus picks for his example of our neighbour is someone considered an enemy and ritually and morally unclean during his time, someone who even a priest would pass on by. Just pick a person from a group that you most despise today lying on the side of the road robbed and injured and needing help—even that's your neighbour. And to help such a person isn't an easy thing to do. Jesus' message is indeed a challenging one for us to truly hear, let alone live out. But that kind of heart is precisely the one that's needed to transform this world into one characterized by abundance, justice, equality, mercy, love, and peace. No one can be left out of our hearts or our society.
4. Number four on my list is Mt 25:31-46, the parable of the sheeps and goats:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
This parable has as its theme one very common in Jesus' teachings on this list—that of how we should treat one another. It's about our actions and caring for one another. And the message I take away from this passage is that the heart of true religion isn't about politics of purity or judging others for their actions and choices. Rather, it's about interconnectedness, relationships, and care and concern for others. How we treat others is our spiritual practice, and it's only in the present moment (not after death) that we choose God (love) or Mammon (greed). And here Jesus is very clear about which he chooses and which he wants us to choose.
5. The fifth passage is Acts 4:32-35:
The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
This passage is important to me because it reflects the early disciples' understanding of Jesus' message and mirrors the world they're trying to create, the kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven. And if we truly want to realize a world in which we don't have to struggle and compete to survive, but labour together and all share in the fruits of abundance, we must live in the same way and socially, spiritually, and materially transition to something new, something characterized by the maxim: "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."
And last but not least, the final passage on my list is James 4:1-17:
Causes of Division. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks without meaning when it says, “The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy”? But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
“God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”
So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?
Warning Against Presumption. Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”— you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.” But now you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.
In this passage, James, the brother of Jesus, delivers a powerful admonishment. It begins with a discourse on the seeds of division in society that lie within our hearts, the drives and intentions fed by greed, anger, and ignorance. If our hearts are influenced by these intentions, then so will our actions.
James chastises us and pleads with us to live another way, a way that's implicitly based on generosity, love, and wisdom. It asks us to submit to God; and God is love, so we're called to submit to love. And it reiterates that things such as greed, anger, covetousness, judgmentalism, self-centeredness, etc. makes the happiness of all an impossibility. It's a rebuke of hyperindividualism and a call to humility. We're not perfect and make mistakes, nor are we omniscient or omnipotent and able to perfectly know and control the future. We're mortal beings at the mercy of the cosmic laws of nature whose lives are ephemeral compared to eternity. And one cardinal mistake is to love the world and worldly things (things like praise, possessions, power, etc.) rather than God and one another.
Everything in nature is interrelated, including human beings. We're social creatures shaped by our relationships with each other as well as our external environment and the material social relations of our socio-economic institutions. And if those relationships are rotten, what grows out of them will surely be, too. Ultimately, we shouldn't live our lives with the goal of profit, dominance, and gain for ourselves, but simply live doing what's right for its own sake. And if that's how we all choose to live our lives, then happiness will surely follow.
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