THE PATH TO LOVING GOD - 03/17/23 (Friday of the Third Week of Lent)

Mark 12:29–30

“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.” 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031723.cfm

Blessed Friday! The scribe asked Jesus of the most important commandments, and our Lord replied of two things, the love towards God and the love towards our neighbors. Jesus also speaks to us of a radical form of love because we are called to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. God, who is Infinite Goodness, deserves to receive all that we have of ourselves. He should be our top priority because all good things we have come from Him. Our Lord has already loved us even before He created everything. We are already in His mind for eternity. And, the greatest love that is witnessed in human history is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our salvation. And yet, when we reflect on our lives, we may see how difficult it is to live up to this commandment. There are many times when we are not faithful to His commandments. Some prefer to love their neighbors over God in such a way that they may choose to disobey God while allowing themselves to be influenced to commit sins by other people. To love God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength means that we are fully united to Him in this life. But, when we commit mortal sins, we are disconnecting ourselves from Him by breaking our relationship with Him and by endangering our salvation. 

We may wonder as to how we can love God with everything that we have if we are aware of how our hearts, minds, souls and strength are not focused on Him. Still, in these trials and humiliations, Jesus is showing us the path to the perfection of love for God. By being aware of the sinful and worldly attachments in our hearts, we can know to do God's will by doing the opposite of the suggestions of the devil. In the gospel reading, Jesus commended the scribe and told him that he's not far from the Kingdom of heaven. Scribes were often described in the Scriptures as those who always oppose Christ. But, this passage showed that even the scribes had hope of conversion. We should not despair when we see our weaknesses because Jesus first loves us with all His heart, mind, strength and soul. It is because of our imperfections that He has voluntarily offered Himself on the Cross for us to enter the Kingdom of God. Are we struggling with sins of lust such as satisfying sexual desires that are not open to life, not in the context of marriage and not in accordance with God's will? Did we allow ourselves to be influenced by the world and reject the teachings of Christ and the Church? Let's accept the invitation of repentance and sacrament of confession. Let's detach ourselves from occasions of sins and temptations and let's use our time for God's glory such as prayers, Mass, and perseverance in virtues. Only God, who is Infinite Love, can fully satisfy the desires of our hearts, and in Him, our souls will grow and blossom by His grace. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Fasting and Abstinence during Lent:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/56337/fasting-and-abstinence-during-lent

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth