Jesus teaches in Mark’s Gospel that the greatest commandments are about loving God and one another. In these current times with COVID-19 we have incredible opportunities to put these two commandments into practice.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent
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The commandment to love challenges us to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. May we look to the example of the saints to love – event when it’s hard – as we draw near to the Lord and one another.
Mass Readings – 7th Sunday of the Year
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Study: Reflect on a moment when you felt completely and entirely loved. How did that experience shape your life?
Pray: Is there a person in your life right now who is difficult to love? Ask the Lord for an infusion of grace!
Serve: How can you say “I love you” with an action? How can you show others the love in your heart?
Mass Readings – 7th Sunday of the Year
A couple of major themes surface in our readings this week:
In the first reading and Psalm we see the Lord’s command to love one another. This might catch some people by surprise; after all, the Old Testament is filled with examples where the people of God are anything but loving to those they encounter! Point: love of neighbor is a clear commandment of God.
The Gospel of Matthew sets the bar higher as Jesus builds on this command and calls us to conversion. We are not only called to love our neighbors and family, but we are also called to love our enemies and persecutors! Like last week, Jesus takes the commandments of the Old Testament and moves far beyond them. We are called to love with our whole heart…loving one another the way God loves us.
The second reading goes in a different direction. We hear from St. Paul that our bodies are temples of the living God, and as such we encounter the Spirit of God in the person of everyone we meet.
A consideration for today: put the love of God into practice! We are cherished, treasured, forgiven and esteemed by the Lord – who loves us even on our worst days. Following this example we can act accordingly…loving those around us with the love of Jesus Christ.
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Note: This post was first published on February 13, 2017.
Study: Recall a time when you were treated kindly…and you didn’t deserve it. How did this kindness affect you?
Pray: Is there someone in your life who is difficult to love? Ask the Lord for grace and strength.
Serve: Is there a “neighbor” in your life that you are feeling called to help? How can you reach out?
Mass Readings – 15th Sunday of the Year
The story of the Good Samaritan takes many of us back to our elementary school days of religious education. It’s worth taking a moment to examine the structure of the context within which the parable is located in chapter ten of Luke’s Gospel:
The first half of this passage pertains to the notion of eternal life and what we must do – loving God and one another. This is a recap of the two Great Commandments, and we all generally nod our heads in agreement at the lawyer’s answer.
The second half, however, pushes the question “Who is my neighbor?” as Jesus uses the parable to point out that all people – regardless of race, color, religion – are our neighbor. Remember: the Samaritan is not Jewish, yet fulfills the command of loving the neighbor!
The takeaway for us today happens on many levels:
While there are many ways to demonstrate our love for the Lord, a clear example occurs when we act in kind and merciful ways toward one another. May see clearly our neighbors and respond to their needs with the love of Jesus Christ.
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Note: This post was first published on July 4, 2016.
The commandment to love God and neighbor is well known, and it can act as a mission statement that guides every single element of our lives…and helping us to grow as Sons and Daughters of God.
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
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Jesus teaches that love – of God and one another – is the greatest commandment. Why? Because we are called into relationship with the Lord and each other, and these relationships are nurtured, strengthened and guided by our willingness to love one another as God loves us.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year
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Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 31st Week of the Year
Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Romans that the commandment to love our neighbor both sums up and fulfills the law. Now all we have to do is live it each and every day.
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