The 11th Commandment

by Editor · April 5, 2006

Holy Week affords us an opportunity to observe the single most powerful expression of love yet: Jesus’ self-sacrifice for the sins of all humanity.

In his encyclical Deus caritas est (God is Love), Pope Benedict spells out the beauty of selfless love, and love for our neighbour the one commandment Christ added to the ten dispensed through Moses.

Amid all the tense foreboding of Holy Thursday, the sorrowful turbulence of Good Friday, and the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, we ought to deliberate whether we even nearly approach being worthy of Jesus’ great love.

This examination of conscience is part of our participation in the sacrament of Reconciliation, especially before Easter, when we confess our sins before God and ask for his forgiveness.

Part of the deal is our commitment not to repeat these sins (or at least to try our best not to). If our treatment of others is an indication, chances are that either we do not confess our trespasses against others, or default on our commitment not to repeat our sins, or do not think that our poor treatment of others is in fact sinful.

Sinning against our neighbour is not just the terrain of obvious nasties such as wifebeaters, conmen, drug dealers or ruthless careerists.

Malicious gossip or rumour-mongering (never mind the dissemination of outright lies) are all behaviour many might neglect to classify as sinful. But gossip, rumour, innuendo and lies have a way of affecting the life of their target. The result may be relatively harmless (say, a dented ego) or grave (say, the loss of a job). Either way, by acting with malicious intent or without charity, the offender negates Christ’s love.

Such conduct is more shocking yet when set within the context of Church activities. Many parishes are divided because parishioners, and sometimes their priests, forget to like (never mind love) their neighbours in their pursuit of power, influence or position in their service to Christ. Sometimes these actions are merely thoughtless, or predicated on the notion that they are of benefit to the Church.

It has been known for such divisions to be replicated on diocesan and even episcopal level.

Politics within the Church can become particularly nasty, simply because Catholics feel their faith so deeply.

Some Catholics take the mistaken view that they should defend their particular understanding of the Catholic faith by all means necessary, paradoxically even when such means require the violation of what they seek to defend the teachings of Christ. In a quest to defend Christ, such people cheerfully negate his basic and all-encompassing injunction: to love one another.

Christ calls us to love even those we deem unworthy of it, as he loves us, who are unworthy of him. Jesus occasionally presented us with challenges which he knew few of us would be able to attain. This is one of them.

Our objective need not be to love everybody, but to avoid doing harm to others through our actions and inactions.

To observe the 11th commandment, we must be gracious towards those we disagree with, generous towards those who need it, forgiving towards those who antagonise us, and considerate towards all.

This, too, can be an expression of love for our neighbour.