Deuteronomy 6:2-6 / Hebrews 7:23-28 / Mark 12:28-34
Every coin has two sides. That is an obvious and forgone statement actually. Who doesn’t know that a coin has two sides.
In the past, one side of the coin is called “head”, and the other side is called “tail”. That is because one side has the figure of the head of a person on it (usually side profile) and that’s why it’s called “head”, and the other side has the value of the coin.
So when something is to be decided by the toss of a coin, the choice is either “head up” or “tail up”. Of course if we want to confuse someone, we can say quickly “heads I win, tails you lose”. (which means the same thing actually). We can confuse the children, but not that easy to confuse the adults.
But the present coins don’t seem to have a “head” and we can’t say which side is the “tail”. It is like saying that the coin has no head no tail. So the lingo for the toss of the coin has to be updated. Maybe the coin toss is not used anymore.
The present coin may not have a “head” or “tail” side, but whichever side it is, it is still of the same coin. So, the simple coin tells us something really basic and fundamental.
And that is there are two sides to everything, and one is not more important than the other.
In the gospel, the scribe puts this question to Jesus: Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus answered that question with the first commandment, and with the same breath, He also added the second commandment.
In effect, Jesus is saying that these are two closely connected answers to the same question, just like there are two sides to the same coin.
And just like one side of the coin is not more important than the other, the two commandments complement and complete each other.
In other words, to love God is also to love our neighbour. We can’t say that we love God whom we can’t see, and don’t love the neighbour that we can see. God and neighbour are like two sides of the same coin.
There is an old saying that expresses this teaching:
“I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see;
I sought my God and my God eluded me;
I sought to serve my neighbour, and I found all three: My God, my neighbour and me.”
A religious nun was writing about her vocation story and she recalled a childhood experience that probably planted the seed for her vocation. She wrote:
I never liked Tracy, though she lived two doors from me, and she is about my age. I thought she looked funny and strange (later I came to know that she has “Downs Syndrome”). I never liked to talk to her, much less play with her.
One day, my mum invited her and her mother over for lunch. My mother made me sit directly across the table to Tracy. I frowned and showed my displeasure but my mum glared at me and she was not going to change the seating arrangement.
I sulked over my lunch. After lunch came the dessert which is mango pie, which was my favourite. My elder brother knew that I was sulking and to taunt me further, took a double share of the pies. There was a piece for everyone at table, no more, no less.
When the tray of pies was handed to Tracy, there was only one piece left and it was obviously for her. Tracy looked around the table and she looked at my empty plate. And then she passed the tray with that last piece of mango pie to me and said only two words, “You take”.
I felt terrible then, but I took it. But something in me made me cut that piece of pie into half and I gave one half to Tracy.
When I did that, something strange happened to me. Tracy didn’t look funny anymore, neither did she look strange. She has become my friend. That was one of my early experiences of love for neighbour.
It is a nice and heartwarming story that tells us that when we love our neighbor, God’s love will grow greater in us. Yes, love for God and love for neighbor are the two sides of the same coin.
God is in the neighbour and the neighbour is near, and often, very near.
Last Friday was All Souls Day and we remember our departed loved ones with prayers and Mass offerings.
A woman wrote this reflection, which was prompted by the recent death of her mother. She wrote:
Mum lived nearby. It would have been easy for me to drop in for a chat over tea but I always postponed it. When mum called me over the phone, our conversations were brief and hurried. I feel ashamed when I think of the many times I cut her short with, “Sorry Mum, but I am busy now.”
The world is filled with daughters like me. I hope that many of them will read this and learn from this.
Oh yes, we sure can learn from what this woman said because we too have treated our parents or our children or people who need our love and concern in the similar way.
But today, Jesus reminds us that love for God and love for neighbour are two sides of the same coin. They complement and complete each other.
When we understand that, then we too are not far from the Kingdom of God.