Put First Things First

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In today’s Gospel, a scholar of the law asks Jesus a very simple question: “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” And Jesus gives an answer we know so well that sometimes we stop hearing it: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” The whole Christian life is right there. But maybe the real question is not whether we know these words. The real question is: what actually comes first in my life?

Because we all love something first. Maybe it is success. Maybe it is comfort. Maybe it is approval. Maybe it is our plans, our reputation, our family, our work, or even our own need to be right. And here is the uncomfortable part: whatever we love most will quietly organise everything else. It shapes our decisions, our priorities, our fears, and even the way we treat people. Jesus is not asking for one more religious duty to add to our schedule. He is saying: “Give Me the first place.” Because when God is first, everything else can be loved properly.

And then Jesus immediately connects love of God with love of neighbour. That is important. We cannot say, “I love God,” while refusing to forgive, while holding grudges, while speaking badly about someone, or while ignoring the person in front of us. Love of God is not just a feeling we have in church. It has a face. It becomes patience, mercy, honesty, sacrifice, and sometimes a very difficult act of forgiveness. The neighbour Jesus asks us to love is often not the easy one. Sometimes it is the person who irritates us, disappoints us, or has wounded us.

But Jesus also says, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” That means Christian love is not about hating ourselves or allowing others to treat us badly. To love ourselves rightly is to see ourselves as God sees us: created, loved, called, and in need of mercy. And when we know that we are loved by God, we become freer to love others without constantly demanding something back from them. We stop asking, “What do I get?” and begin asking, “How can I love well here?

So maybe this Gospel gives us one very simple examination of conscience: What is first in my heart, and does my love for God actually change the way I love people? Because holiness is not complicated. It is difficult, yes, but not complicated. Love God with everything. Love the person in front of you. And then do it again tomorrow. That is the Christian life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me to love You above everything else. Put my heart in the right order. Help me to love others with patience, mercy, and truth, especially when it is difficult. Teach me to see myself and every person as You see us. May my love for You become visible in the way I live. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko