You are absolutely right. But the Catholic faith is not about a literal interpretation of the Bible, is about the so-called depositum fidei, i.e. how the Catholic Church holds and transmits the teachings of Jesus Christ.
You may say that all Catholicism is the interpretation given by "Jesus' later followers".
Of course, when discussing Catholicism, I was implicitly using the Catholic Church's interpretation of Jesus's sayings. It would interesting to discuss if what he meant is what the Church now means.
> 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Sure. My point there was that faith in God is needed for salvation. It's not just mercy and kindness.