Today’s Gospel talks about the principle of subsidiarity; that is, handling things at the lowest level. When there is something wrong with your car, you don’t contact the CEO of the car company; rather, you go to the mechanic. However, in today’s society, there is a disturbing trend of “get me your manager” or “I’m calling corporate” whenever there is a perceived issue or problem.
Jesus invites us to deal with problems one-on-one, instead of escalating them. Now, in some cases, you may need to take it to the next level. However, it is usually better to take care of things between yourselves. But, this also extends to the commandments.
Sometimes, we complicate matters by thinking the commandments should be multiplied or enhanced. What Jesus does, instead, is he reduces them to 3: love God, love neighbor, and love self. If we learn to love in that order, we will have no need to create more commandments or laws.
When examining an issue, ask yourself, “Does my response demonstrate a love of God, neighbor, or self?” In other words, “Am I helping someone get closer to God’s kingdom in this situation, or am I pushing them away?”
Have a great week,
Msgr. John