Today's Gospel in Art - The Commandments of Love

Soul escaping the Body, by Xawery Dunikowski 1918 © Christian Art

Gospel of 25th October 2020 - Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, 'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?' Jesus said, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.'

Reflection on the Sculpture

Today's reading goes to the very heart of all Scripture. Jesus tells us what our central duty, responsibility, and even privilege in life is: 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.' Jesus doesn't mention the soul, the heart and mind as if they were separate categories of love, it is one love. But by spelling out heart, mind and soul, Jesus stresses that we are to love God with every part of our being. The depth of our love for God should sit in each of these areas.

To love God with our heart means that our life revolves around Him. He is the center of our daily life wheel. He is at the forefront of all that we think and do. To love God with our soul means there is genuine emotion and passion towards God. This doesn't mean that our love for God is to be controlled by our feelings. But it is yet important to find God in our emotional nature. And then to love God with our mind, does not just include the intellectual life, but also a sense determination, active choice and using our free will to seek God. Loving God with all our mind balances out our emotions and steers the direction and path on which we walk, pursuing God.

Our sculpture by Polish artist Xawery Dunikowski was made in 1918. We can see a certain angst in this sculpture titled 'The Soul Escaping the Body'. The body is putting its hands firmly down to try and keep the soul inside the body. The body is fighting for life… soon after this was sculpted in 1918, World War I was over…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/585

Christian Art - www.christian.art