Monday 05 October 2020 - 27th week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10, 25-37 - I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: "Love one another, as I have loved you".

It is a doctor of the Law who asks Jesus this question. The Word of God says that his intention is to put Jesus to the test because a scribe is supposed to master the Scriptures. In other words, the reason for the question does not come from a thirst for knowledge but from the desire to trap. So that already teaches us to guard against this attitude: the veiled intention to bait. Let's be frank, without ulterior motives, in our conversations. And it is all the more pressing to be simple in our relationship with God: let us beware of tempting God or testing him, as if to say: "if you are really God, make me very rich; if you really exist, why do we suffer so much?". This may have happened during the Covid-19 pandemic: "But where is the Lord? What prayer has not yet been said?" This is not done as, what is required of us is to have the heart of a child, considering him as Father. We are His children, He knows what is good for us.

It was in his conversation with this scribe that Jesus took the opportunity to make two teachings. First, we must love God with all our heart if we are to gain eternal life; that is, not partially or out of obligation, but with all our heart. The second that cannot be overlooked is the need to have a compassionate heart in order to gain eternal life. How many children are currently forced to drop out of school? The question before us is: are there men who would be generous and compassionate to them?

In short, it is sacrilege to put God to the test no matter what happens in life. It is even indecent to tempt one's neighbours. Secondly, it is necessary to have a heart that beats for God and neighbour. An indifferent heart is a scourge worse than death.