Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 25, 2026

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You’ve seen the classic irony that warns us about success:

Often, the image is accompanied by the phrase, “You had one job.” – like this guy did!

It’s funny, isn’t it – until you realize that it’s describing you at – what? – maybe at fifty points in your past life!

Remember that IKEA bureau whose pull handles ended up inside the drawer? And I bet you’ll never forget that meticulously planned picnic served sans plasticware.

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The readings for this Thirtieth Sunday echo these situations. The wise ancient who penned Exodus implies: “You have one job –  to love your neighbor. So, “Plan Ahead”!

Exodus offers practical advice that can be applied exactly as it is given. We should not oppress the alien, or wrong widows and orphans. We should not extort a person who is poor, or permanently deprive anyone of a needed cloak as collateral.

But the passage suggests much more than accountability for any single selfishness. It demands that we reverse all failure to love – especially toward the least lovable and most needy. That avowed reversal is the basis of our relationship with God Who is Love itself.

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As we approach the US mid-term elections, these biblical passages shout a critical message. We exercise our faith in the political environment of our times. The choices we make around government, policy, and leadership declare our commitment to our neighbor, the ultimate command of our faith.

“The moment we choose to love, we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love, we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.” (bell hooks)

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Three images might strike us from the Exodus reading:

The Alien: How do we respond to that which feels alien to us? Fear? Stonewalling? Stereotyping? Or do we welcome difference, learn from it, encourage it? Do our choices reverence or dehumanize the other?

The Widow or Orphan: How do we respond to people who are isolated, or ‘orphaned’? When we find others suffering loss, shunning, exclusion, or need, how do we act toward them? Do we do our part to promote a universal common good?

The Cloak: When we have the advantage in a situation, how do we use it? For our own or for the common good? Do we demand the “cloak” in security for ourselves, or do we offer its warmth to others in need? Do we support political policy that seeks such equity?

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In God’s voice, Exodus reminds us that we are in this world to live as neighbors, who journey to God’s heart only together. The author preaches in the tone of his times with the frightening threat of divine execution if we fail.

But there is a more vicious kind of death that comes from failure to be a neighbor. It is an isolation that leaves us in the company of our own selfishness. And that is hell on earth – a hell that can consume both individuals and nations.

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In our Gospel today, Jesus warns us that we have one job – to be neighbors. And our neighborhood is the world. There, we will encounter many people rendered physically, emotionally, economically, or spiritually helpless by a hostile power. Success depends on our willingness to love them like God – with all our heart, soul, and mind.

“You shall 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 is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

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Music: Who Is My Neighbor – from Heavenly Love Songs