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Theo Tigno•
3/31/2011 5:18 pm
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Friday in the Third Week of Lent |
Mark 12: 28-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Dawg's Thought:
Today's prayer intention - for the CRYS retreat team and retreatants.
Take a look back at your life and look at how you have loved others. Have you ever sat at bedside of a loved one in the hospital, comforting them in that moment when they can feel alone? Have you ever cooked a meal for someone who couldn't cook a meal for themselves? Have you ever helped a friend move?
There are so many ways that we can love. There are so many ways that we can be a "gift" to others. You can be a gift to others. You are a gift.
In one of the Eucharistic prayers at mass, there is one line that has always stood out to me ... "Make us an everlasting gift to You." I have always loved this line, but I never understood why until now. In essense, aren't we making a prayer to God to help us to love Him with "all our heart, soul, mind and strength?" If we trust that God indeed desires to answer this prayer because He commanded that we love Him, then wouldn't we be able to trust that He is answering that prayer in every situation that we are in?
If this is the case, then even in hardship and suffering, we are being given what we need to be able to respond to God with love ... complete and total love ... to the point of being a complete and total gift to Him. Through that, we are able to love our neighbor effectively because we are loving Christ through them.
If this is the case, why would we not offer difficult acts of love to God? Wouldn't that be a very pleasing offering to Our Lord? Wouldn't that be an act more pleasing that giving up caffiene or sugar (although those are good things as well). Wouldn't it be greater because it would require us love with our whole hearts ... our whole souls ... our whole minds ... and all our strength.
Lord, make us an everlasting gift to You. Take care and God Bless.
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