My dear people of God, today is the 30 th Sunday in ordinary time year A. Weare gradually approaching the end of this year’s liturgical circle. In the
liturgy of last Sunday, we were reminded that we owe God glory and praise.  While we pledge our loyalty and support to state authority, the glory, power and adoration exclusively belong to God.
  similar to the first commandment-love your neighbor as yourself. By placing these commandments side by side, Jesus gave us a true guide on how to relate with God, and with each other.

The Love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable, they are like parts of the same notes. From the beginning, God makes it clear that if we are to
love him, we must also love people around us, the people he created in his
likeness. These include the poor, the widows, the orphans, the foreigners
and the most vulnerable in the society.

These were the category of people, through the instrumentality of Moses,
God cautioned the Israelites to treat with love and care. They must be
treated with fairness and justice, because, whenever they cry to God, he will surely answer them. The poor, the weak person, that neighbor who has no friend and relative, are special people to the Lord. We need to be very sensitive in our dealings with them.

Later on, we see Jesus again saying, when I was hungry you gave me food, I
was naked and you clothed me, thirsty and you gave me something to
drink…Any act of kindness you did to the least of my people, Jesus says, you did it to me (Cf. Mathew 24:40). You did it to me. These words of Jesus
speak volumes on the interconnectedness between the love of God and the love of neighbor. The love of neighbor is placed besides the love of God.  There is no other meaning to be added on these words, except what Jesus, Himself had in mind.

Today, Jesus has shown us how to live our lives as children of God, that is, to love God and to love our neighbours as well. Looking at Jesus’ life, we see how He lived the whole Gospel, he maintains both sides of the coin.

We see how the Father was always before His mind. What the Father wanted from him was always most important to him. And, at the same time, He kept his eyes and ears open to the needs of those around him. He did what He could to make their life a bit better and easier.

Let us imitate the life of Jesus who proclaimed the gospel in words and in
deed. Today he gives us short summary of how to understand both the Law and Prophets. To love God above all things with my whole heart, mind, and spirit. And to love my fellow brothers and sisters as I have love myself. St. Mother Theresa’s life of charity can be a practical example to remember. We were told that one day, she was lifting a dying child out of a gutter, she looked at it and said to herself: “I am lifting Jesus out of the gutter”. She understood Christ’ message perfectly that, whatever you do to the least of my people you did it to me.

We shall do well to heed the message of Jesus in today's gospel: that true love of God and true love of neighbour are two sides of the same coin. Any attempt to separate them is a falsification of the message of Christ.  "Those who say, I love God, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen"  (1 John 4:20).