One day I went over to visit my niece who has a three-year-old, his name is Leo. And he was watching the fairy tale movie ‘Shrek.’ And if you know the movie ‘Shrek,’ it’s about a green, ornery ogre who lives in a swamp surrounded by ‘keep-out’ signs and ‘beware of the ogre.’ And he purposely intends to frighten away people before they can see how strange he looks. 

And Shrek ends up, as we know, rescuing the beautiful princess Fiona from a dragon’s castle and he becomes her hero. And the princess recognizes the kind and good heart that beats underneath Shrek’s slimy and green skin. And Shrek discovers he’s not such a mean ogre after all, but a lonely creature, in fact, one who longs for friendship and wants to love and to be loved. 

I was reminded, as I looked at that movie once again, that it had a great moral to the story and it’s why I share it today. Life is not a fairy tale, and there is a bit of the ogre and the beautiful princess in each of us. And both of these characters must confront the reality that goodness and beauty, understanding our love, are much, much deeper than the green skin in the trumpet-shaped ears of Shrek. It’s a reminder, how do we look at one another as neighbor, but also as God’s beloved? 

And Jesus reminds us how we are to look at each other and help to discover and build this kingdom of God. We hear Jesus talk of this command today. It’s one that embraces a vision of faith that sees deeper than mere appearances and the labels that we put upon one another. We are challenged to welcome each other as the holy children of God, creator of us all. And so Jesus is clear. Yes, you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, 

With all your soul, your mind, and all your strength, but let’s not forget the second. 

You shall love your neighbor. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Who is our neighbor? Who are the ones that we forget are our neighbor? And so the gospel challenges us today with this question. 

What helps this command blossom, if you will, in us? What helps us so that we not only hear the command, but live this gospel command, love God and love your neighbor as yourself? 

One of the beautiful ways that I’ve seen it in our migrant ministry, in the parishes that I am a part of, is how so many volunteers come together to show compassion and care and give hope to our new neighbors. 

Not only with food and clothing, but most of all compassion that shows care and hope. 

When we stray from our goodness, when we stray from the command of Jesus, we’re like misplaced keys or a wallet or a purse, whatever. They’re somewhere. We have just only forgotten where we placed them. 

And so Jesus comes to us today and reminds us, we are all being called to live this command that helps to build God’s kingdom, to love God and love neighbor as self. 

And what is the positive and the good that we might need to call forth in ourselves or to call forth in others as we strive to live the command, to love God and to see each other and love each other as neighbor?