Gospel for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 25, 2026 · Matthew 22:34-40
The greatest commandment
Someone asks Jesus which commandment is the most important. He answers with two that go together: love God and love your neighbor. Matthew 22:34-40
Liturgical color: green
This Sunday’s Gospel, in everyday words
The Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, and they gathered together. Matthew 22:34
One of them, a scholar of the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. Matthew 22:35
He asked him which commandment in the Law was the most important. Matthew 22:36
Jesus answered that we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. Matthew 22:37
He told him that this is the greatest and the first commandment. Matthew 22:38
And he told him that the second is like the first: love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:39
Jesus explained that the whole Law and the Prophets, that is, the Scriptures, depend on these two commandments. Matthew 22:40
What the Bible says
Matthew 22:34-40
34But the Pharisees hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, came together: 35And one of them, a doctor of the law, asking him, tempting him: 36Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? 37Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. 38This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The other readings at Mass
First Reading
God tells his people not to mistreat foreigners, because they too were foreigners in Egypt. He asks them to care for the widow, the orphan, and the poor, because he is compassionate. Exodus 22:20-26
Responsorial Psalm
We tell God that we love him, because he is our strength, our rock, and our refuge. Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51
Second Reading
Paul praises the Christians in Thessalonica. They turned away from idols to serve the living God, and their faith is known everywhere. 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
The full readings for this day, from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: bible.usccb.org
What the Church teaches
The two commandments
The Church reads the Ten Commandments in the light of these two: love God and love your neighbor.
Catechism 2055
The poor man and his cloak
Love for the poor has always been part of the Church’s tradition. Even the Law of Moses said that a poor man’s cloak, taken as a pledge, had to be given back to him.
Catechism 2444 and 2449; Exodus 22:25-26
The works of mercy
They are ways of loving our neighbor with deeds. For example: feeding the hungry, clothing those who have no clothes, and visiting the sick and the imprisoned.
Catechism 2447
To read with your children
A teacher of the Law asked Jesus a question. Matthew 22:35
He wanted to know which commandment was the most important. Matthew 22:36
Jesus told him that we should love God with all our heart. Matthew 22:37
And that we should love others as we love ourselves. Matthew 22:39
Who can you help at home today?
To talk about as a family
- Jesus put love of God and love of neighbor together. How can people see that in our home?
- The first reading talks about the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan. Who near us needs help?
- For the child: how do you show someone that you love them?
This week
This week, do a work of mercy together. You could visit or call someone who is sick, bring food to someone who needs it, or give away clothes you no longer use.
To pray
Lord God, you loved us first. Teach us to love you with all our heart and to love others as we love ourselves. Open our eyes to see those who are lonely or in need. Amen.