In the first reading, the term "debt of mutual love" refers to the one thing that Christians owe to one another, that is, love of one's neighbour. In this regard, Paul sums up the entire 613 commandments found in the Torah in a sentence. In the Jewish understanding, "neighbour" meant someone of the same family or nationality. As taught and demonstrated by Jesus, the Christian understanding of neighbour goes beyond the Jewish view and has a much broader meaning.

According to Jesus, "love for neighbour" is the norm or criteria for Christian living. Because of his love, Jesus redeemed humanity from the slavery of sin. Therefore, by loving others, Christians demonstrate their calling as disciples of Christ. But true Christian love is not a sentimental or emotional kind of love. It is sacrificial in nature because it carries the message of the cross. Jesus gave His life on the cross precisely out of love. To truly love, a Christian must be ready, if necessary, to give up even those closest to him or her to live as disciples of Christ.

As such, Christian discipleship is an all-consuming vocation, and it must be accepted with mature deliberation. At times, a Christian must be ready to make difficult choices to remain faithful to the commandment of Jesus. A person who wants to be a Christian but cannot commit fully to Christ and cannot assess the demands of discipleship before becoming a Christian needs our prayers.