The Greatest Commandment

But having found out that he had put the Sadducees to silence,  the Pharisees got together; and one of them, who was a doctor of the law, came to ask this question of him in order to test him: “Master, what is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Jesus replied,  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. That is the greatest and first commandment.  And here is the second, which is similar to that one: You shall love your neighbor  as yourself. All the Law and the prophets are contained in these two commandments.” (Mt. 22:34-40)

Charity and humility: that is the sole path to salvation; selfishness  and pride: that  is the sole path to  perdition. This principle is formulated in precise terms in these words: “You shall love God with all your soul and your neighbor as yourself; all the Law and the prophets are contained  in these two commandments.” And so that there may be no mistake about the interpretation of loving God and one’s neighbor, Jesus adds, “And this is the second commandment, which is similar to the first,” that is, one cannot truly love God without loving one’s neighbor, nor can one love one’s  neighbor without loving God. Thus,  everything that  is done against one’s neighbor is also done against God. And since one cannot love God without practicing charity toward one’s neighbor, all of humankind’s duties are summed up in the maxim: WITHOUT  CHARITY THERE IS NO SALVATION.