Is anything in life more important than the call to Love? No. Jesus makes that abundantly clear in today’s Gospel.
Love is the heart and foundation of our lives as disciples.
It is God’s call to all people.
And that’s why Jesus’ words about love found a home in this scribe’s heart.
Jesus could see that because he recognized the centrality of love in God’s plan,
this man was very close to the kingdom of God.
You have probably heard Jesus’ command to love many times. How are you doing?
To what degree are you loving in deed and truth and not just talking about it (1 John 3:18)?
True love costs.
At times it is very difficult to love, especially our enemies.
Jesus, however, can enlarge our hearts;
his Spirit can help us love beyond our limited capacity.
But this passage presents us with another question: How do we view those who are not followers of Jesus and yet are making attempts to love?
Do we look with compassion and even admiration on them,
even if they may not be committed Christians?
Those who do not share our beliefs about God,
even those who have some very mistaken views of God,
may nevertheless find a place in their hearts for Jesus’ teaching.
Like the scribe, they may not be far from the kingdom of God.
Loving God and loving others are the most important things we can do.
As St. John of the Cross once said, “At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.”
Jesus wants our lives to be marked by a love that seeks the good of other people
and is willing to take a humble position of service.
Day after day, he gives us opportunities to love,
along with the grace to seize these opportunities
. As we love with his love,
we have no idea of the ways we may influence the people around us.
Who knows? Maybe our efforts to love will spur someone else to take steps that will bring them more fully into God’s kingdom.
Let us pray for everyone who is striving to love in deed and truth.
“Jesus, please give me a greater capacity for love.
Help me to love as you love.
Help those who are not far from your kingdom to respond ever more fully to your call to love.”
Imagine the day that you appear before God’s throne. Will you be ‘eager’ to be before God? Will you be able to known as be a solid ‘workman’ for His kingdom? Have you ‘imparted’ the word of truth ‘without deviation’?
If we were carpenters, would we want a building inspector to say our work was inferior and shoddy? If we were brick layers building a brick building, would we want our walls to fall down? NO
We want to be known as good workmen (and workwomen) - that are not causing disgrace to God!!!
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, Inspire us to be good workers for You - eager to be accepted by You - never being an embarassment to You, but always working for your Kingdom. In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Let us pray. Heavenly Father, Inspire us to be good workers for You - eager to be accepted by You - never being an embarassment to You, but always working for your Kingdom. In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen