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Fr. Flor McCarthy, SDB, the author of New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies has the story to tell us. It is the story of Abbot Moses who is known for his holiness.

Since Holy Week was fast approaching, he and all the monks had agreed to fast and pray in their respective cells for the entire Holy Week. However, about the middle of the week, two wandering monks came to visit the cell of Abbot Moses.

Seeing that they were hungry, Abbot Moses decided to cook a small vegetable stew for them. To make them feel at ease, he also took a little for himself. In the meantime, the other monks saw smoke coming from his cell, which meant that he was cooking food. In other words, he had broken the holy fast. They were shocked and scandalized because he had fallen from his pinnacle of sanctity.

They confronted and judged him: "You have broken the solemn fast". Seeing judgement in their eyes; he replied to them: "What crime have I committed that makes you look at me like this?" "You have broken the solemn fast" they answered him. "So, I have" he replied. "I have broken the commandment of men, I have kept the commandment of love of God that we should love one another." On hearing this, the monks grew silent, and they went away humbled but wiser."

According to the rabbinical count, the "Law" consisted of 613 statutes and commandments. Many times, Jesus and Rabbis were asked: "Which is the greatest of these commandments." Jesus was asked to name one. Jesus answered with two: To love God above all things and to love your neighbor and yourself. For Jesus, the second one must follow the first. They are intimately connected with each other, thus never separate or  distinct from each other. To love God, means love must flow to our neighbor.

There are people who claim that they must love God above all things, but they dispense themselves from the obligation to love other people. There are also people who exhaust themselves with taking care of the world and other people but never think of God or pray to God. Both extremes show that they do not understand the Gospel. Jesus has shown us how to live the Gospel, that is, to love God and to love our neighbor as well. He didn't say that these two commandments are the same thing, but we can't have one without the other. Christ's life attests to this reality.

As Christians, we are challenged to reflect deeply about our failure to love God above all things, and to love our neighbor. Do we give due reverence an honor to Him by worshiping Him whole-heartedly on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation? Do we find time to pray by being intimate with Him or aware of his presence in our life? Do we keep and live all the commandments of God, not infringing one of them? Does our love of God consist off loving our neighbor by not neglecting or being blind to their needs? Are we prompt in fulfilling all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy?

God will judge us, determining if we have lived these two great commandments? Our worthiness to partake in the banquet depends primarily on these commandments.

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