30th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

In the much loved 1964 Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof”, Tevye, the Jewish milkman, asks his wife Golde if she loves him. They were married when marriages were arranged by matchmakers. They met on their wedding day.
Tevye and Golde’s world is being upended by the revolution in Russia, while their children are demanding their own futures. Their daughter Hodel wants to go against tradition and marry for love. Tevye wonders if his wife loves him. In their song together, she answers his question, “Do I Love You? For 25 years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow.” Tevye continues to ask, and finally Golde says, “I suppose I do.” Then Tevye sings back, “And I suppose I love you too.”
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that love is the foundation of all his teachings. It is the greatest commandment and the greatest gift.
Deacon Dick Folger