the Gospel
Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
the scribble
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
How do I know if I love God? I cannot truly love someone I don’t know. I come to know Him by reading His Word in Scripture, spending time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration, as Bl. Fulton Sheen did by committing to a daily holy hour, and through spiritual reading, learning from the saints.
Knowing God leads to trusting Him, and trusting Him leads to loving Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” and “If you love me, feed my sheep.” Therefore, loving God is expressed through obedience and evangelization. Joy, too, is a fruit of love.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
How do I know if I love my neighbor? “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.” Jesus demonstrated this agape love, as did St. Maximilian Kolbe when he sacrificed his life for another. I’m too selfish for such love. I can begin by dying to myself in small ways, asking God to lead me towards self-giving. There is no love without sacrifice.
Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Give me a new heart and place a new spirit within me. Draw me into a deep, purifying love that encompasses my whole heart, soul, and mind. Pour Your divine, self-giving love into my heart, and let that love, purified by grace, flow from my heart to others.
Today’s devotion was written by Karen Molvar
