August 20, 2021
Dear Friends,
During mass this morning, we heard from Matthew’s Gospel. To be specific, Matthew 22: 34-40. I am sure, for some of you, quoting Gospel and verse might be enough to know what I am talking about. For the rest of us, who need a little bit of a reminder of what this Gospel talks about, the Gospel quotes the “Great Commandment” or possibly what you might refer to it as the “Law of Love.” “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. It is the first and greatest commandment. The second is similar, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.
I know, I know, Fr. Brian is going to talk about love again. Honestly, it is not the overall intention of what I am writing. The Gospel this morning got me thinking about the overall call that we have been given to preach, teach, evangelize and show others our love for God and His love for us. So indirectly yes, I am talking about love. But that is not all I am talking about. The Gospel asks what is the greatest commandment? Love of God followed by love of neighbor. It is in doing these two things that we are better able to serve all His children.
If we come to know God as we should, we are better equipped to love those who are around us even when our friends drive us crazy, when someone in our house makes us want to do things to them that we know we shouldn’t. This is where the commandment comes into play. If we do not take the time to know of God’s love fully, by our involvement and engagement in our faith, this is all for naught. If we love Him, we know of His love for us, through our prayer, through our reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion. These things bring us closer to God, which helps us also love our neighbor. It is not always easy to do this, believe me I know. Yet, if we want to follow Him as we are called, looking at the Great Commandment is one of the easiest ways in which we can move forward in our call to evangelize through our acceptance of His love for us and all of His children.
Sometimes love really is the answer we need to all things. Well, that and morning coffee.
God Bless,
Fr. Brian