The two great commandments, as found in Matthew 22:36-40, are to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” and “love thy neighbour as thyself.”

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

The Tale Of The Brick

A successful business man one day was driving down a street in his neighbourhood. Being the proud owner of a new sports car, he was going much too fast. Suddenly, he spotted some children who seemed to be playing between the vehicles that had been parked by the roadside. And then a brick came flying towards him and crashed into the side of his beloved new toy. Slamming on the brakes, our man reversed in the direction from which the brick had come, to where a boy stood who looked as if he had thrown it. Jumping from his car, our man grabbed the youngster, pushing him against the car he shouted: ‘Why did you throw that brick? It’s damaged my brand new car and repairing it will be very expensive!’

Bursting into tears, the boy said: ‘I’m so sorry, Sir. My name is John and I’m fourteen years old. My brother William is two years younger and since his operation he needs to be use a wheelchair for a while. I have been taking him out in it every day and nothing has ever gone wrong. Yet, something happened today and I don’t know how. It made the wheelchair topple and my brother fell to the ground. I tried to lift him back into his chair, but that’s impossible on my own. I tried to stop other cars to ask for help. As no-one did and I was getting ever more desperate to help my brother, there was nothing within my reach that I could throw except the brick. So I grabbed it and hurled it at the next car that came past, and that was you. It all happened so quickly there was no time for thinking. I threw the brick because I didn’t know what else to do to help my brother. Would you please assist me getting him back into his chair?’

When he saw that tears were dripping from John’s chin, our man swallowed the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Together they picked William up, placed him in his wheelchair and made him as comfortable as they could. Using his handkerchief, our man dabbed the boy’s cuts and bruises, but otherwise he seemed to be all right. John gratefully thanked his helper and blessed him. My parents are not rich, but I am sure they shall want to pay for repairing your car. Their place is not far from here. If you follow me, I’ll take you there.’

‘I would not dream of it,’ our man replied. The bump will be one of honour. I shall not repair it. It will be my constant reminder that I should not move through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at me to draw my attention to what is truly important in life, namely helping whenever someone is in need of it!’ Our man’s spirit guides and helpers rewarded him with a flash of inspiration. Suddenly, only seemingly out of the blue, it came to him that in truth nothing that ever happens on the earthly plane is but an accident or a coincidence. There is no such thing. Everything happens for the wise higher purpose of teaching us something. In this case it had been waking up our man’s higher God or Christ nature from its slumbers