Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 31, 2024
When we believe that Christ is our Lord, our Savior, our infinite love and kindness, and our life, then loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind is not just a commandment to be followed but a way of life to be lived.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Beloved,
This Sunday, we hear from the Gospel of Matthew, where the evangelist describes the encounter between Christ and the people. This passage raises many important questions for us, some of which are posed by the lawyers to Christ, and others by Christ to them.
Let’s begin by considering the text from the end. Christ asks the lawyers, the Pharisees, “What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he?” This question is crucial for us because God asks each of us the same question: “Who do you think I am?” Often in our lives, we create an image of God as a magician or an old uncle sitting in the sky, watching over us. Some see Him as an endless source for fulfilling desires or as someone cruel or unjust. But the way we perceive God and the kind of Christ we believe in directly impacts our lives.
Who is Christ to you? Is He a moral authority? Is He just a historical figure who lived, did something, and was crucified, or is He something more? Is He the living God who took on a body, became one of us, died on a cross, and rose again to give us life? The answer to this question should profoundly move and transform us. For if Christ is merely a moral authority, we may only strive to be good. If He is just a figure from history, we might acknowledge Him in a historical context but ignore Him in our lives. However, if Christ is the living God, our lives must change. He must become the center. And then the lawyer’s question, “Which commandment is the greatest?” becomes the guiding principle of our lives.
When we believe that Christ is our Lord, our Savior, our infinite love and kindness, and our life, then loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind is not just a commandment to be followed but a way of life to be lived. In accepting His love, we cannot help but love Him. And then, as He says, there is another like it: love your neighbor. For if we have truly accepted God’s love and loved Him with all our heart, mind, and soul, we cannot help but love our neighbor, for whom Christ also died and rose again, and who is also invited to the wedding feast.
So, as we remember these two commandments of love, let us also recall the words from the Old Testament when God said, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The commandment to “Hear, O Israel” is directed at us. We must open our ears to hear, our eyes to see, and our hearts to receive Christ, making Him a living God in our lives. The life we received through the sacrament of baptism should be life to us—not just on Sundays, holidays, or when it’s convenient, but every day as we bear witness to God’s love. Then the commandments will not feel like laws to be obeyed but will become integral to our lives—something we cannot live without.
So, let us love God, love our neighbors, and love ourselves. Let us believe in Christ as the Son of God, our Savior, and follow Him every day of our lives.
