Make the Greatest Commandment Your Life’s Foundation
Reflection – 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time –Year A
My brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel we hear the scholars of the law ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is. They were trying to test Jesus. How? The scholars of the law knew that there were 248 commandments, or laws, and 365 prohibitions handed down from Moses. In total, there were 613 laws. So, they thought that it would be difficult for Jesus to determine which law among all of these is the most important.
Jesus, knowing their trickery, answered the question, saying: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Why is this commandment the first of all commandments? Because without love, all of the other commandments lose their meaning. Love —true love —gives life to and fulfills each commandment.
Christianity is a religion of love for God and love for others. Love must always animate our motivation to follow the commandments. True love, however, is not easy; it involves much sacrifice, which Jesus showed us when He died for us on the Cross.
We find ourselves in a time and society where many people do not know how to love and make sacrifices for God and neighbor. We live in a society where we have so many comforts and pleasures. This, however, does not change the fact that Jesus wants to teach us how to love. He is waiting in the Eucharist to show us his example of Love in dying on the Cross. Each time you prepare to participate in the liturgy of the Eucharist, I would like to invite you to spend a few minutes before every Mass to make an examination of conscience and ask yourself: How do I love God? How do I love my neighbor? How do I love my husband, my wife, my children, or my parents? How do I love my parish or my country? If you discover that you love too little, or that your love is full of selfishness instead of sacrifice, do not worry. Offer this to Jesus at the beginning of Mass when we pray “Lord, have Mercy” and during your post-communion prayers, try to resolve to ask Jesus to love more through you when you make acts of charity, pray, and offer even the smallest sacrifices to God the Father.
Jesus is waiting for each of you to make the Commandment of Love the foundation of your life. He is waiting for you to change the world.
Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur
Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lectionary 148
Tags: #frarthur, #frarthurmarat, #frmarat, #greatestcommandment, #homily, #love, #olw, #olwparish, #reflection
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