From Our Pastor

The Gospel passage today tells us about The Greatest Commandment. Jesus was questioned by a Pharisee about which is the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus’ answer is classic. Loving God is the first thing, the most important thing. But, with it comes a consequence: to love God means that you also love God’s people. For Jesus, the greatest commandment is love, a commandment that is easy to follow: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Most of the time, something is easier said than done as at times, it can be difficult to love ourselves and recognize that we deserve to be loved. With our daily routines and our rushed lives, we tend to forget about our faith, we forget to take time to take care of ourselves and take care of those that surround us. Now, more than ever, we need to practice the greatest commandment that Jesus taught us. To love God with all our heart, mind, and soul seems nearly impossible when we think of love as an emotion.

How does one evoke feelings for something as remote, mysterious, and disembodied as the concept of God? We cannot look into God’s eyes, wrap our arms around the Spirit, or even see the face of Jesus. We are currently living in an environment full of political and social tension but Jesus is calling us to practice tolerance and empathy, as well as to give and treat everyone with the fundamental dignity of the human person. We face the challenge of loving people who look and act differently and it is important to recognize that all of us are different, our classrooms and workplaces are often the places where we encounter a wide diversity of people who are closer to us and with whom we are constantly interacting with.

Jesus is calling us to leave aside our differences, implicit biases, and prejudices, and start replacing them with love. Jesus also calls us to question what our priorities are in everything we do, as we tend to focus on unimportant situations over the need for love. The message of Jesus is all-embracing and covers all our relationships, from family, friends, and partners. But it even goes further than that, as we are called to love the wider community. See how these commandments are connected, “the greatest commandment” and the “second, which is like it”? When we love God’s people, we are always, and at the same time loving God. They are inseparable. Surprisingly, sometimes our emotions follow action and we actually feel a love of other or a love of God. But the emotion is not commanded. Only the action of love is commanded. In Christ, this we can do, even when we don’t feel like it.

Peace and all good. Fr. Oscar Mendez, OFM.

(En Español)

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