Jesus cites two passages of the Old Testament to teach what are the Great Commandments of loving God and Neighbor. As we put this love into practice, we will be drawn into an ever-increasing dynamic of communion, forgiveness and service.
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
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Here are some of the key themes in the readings for the 31st Sunday of the Year.
1st Reading – Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Psalm – 18:2-4,47,51
2nd Reading – Hebrews 7:23-28
Gospel – Mark 12:28b-34
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
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Jesus offers a simple and direct teaching about the greatest commandments, loving God and neighbor. Our task? Putting them into practice!
Mass Readings – Friday of the 20th Week of the Year
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St. Bernard…pray for us!
Jesus teaches the two greatest commandments and offers us a powerfully practical way to evaluate our lives as we offer them for the Lord. Let us love one another as God loves us!
Mass Readings – Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent
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The Great Commandment to love God and love one another offers a reminder that while our words signal our behavior, our actions reveal our hearts.
Mass Readings – 30th Sunday of the Year
The great commandment to love God and neighbor is a crucial component to follow Jesus Christ. Our task: to demonstrate daily in thought, word and deed that we are putting it into practice.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 20th Week of the Year
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.
Three Great Things 