The Gospel for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on the commandment to love

The Gospel reading for October 25, according to 22:34-40, describes a doctor of the law questioning Jesus about the most important commandment. Jesus responds by citing the shema, instructing that one must love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind, and then adds a second commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself.

María González of Alfa y Omega notes that Jesus' response uses the prayer recited daily by Israelites to emphasize a total surrender to God rather than a list of obligations. She references Pope Benedict XVI, who stated that the faith begins with an encounter with a Person rather than an ethical decision or a great idea.

Luis Javier Moxó Soto of Religión en Libertad writes that these two commandments are not separate duties. He explains that the same love directed toward God is made concrete through the care of others.