The Call of Love

Dear Friend,

Today’s Gospel reminds us of the two great commandments: Love of God and Love of Neighbor. This is really the composite of the whole teaching of Jesus and the Scripture. As we measure this, and measure ourselves, to this high standard of our own life in Christ, our only failure as a Christian is really our failure to love in all of its complexities and entireties.

Jesus was asked to name the greatest of all the commandments. This question was frequently discussed among the teachers of the Law. When Jesus was asked this question, he said there was not one, but rather two. His answer captured the essence of the Law. Jesus said the Law is reduced, in all of its wisdom, tradition, revelation, and grace into the call of love — we are to love. That is, we must love God and love others. This sums up all the Law and prophets.

Maybe the health, personally and spiritually, of a person, as well as the health and well-being of a community, society, or our world, can be measured on its own ability to love. To love, not only those for whom it might be easy to love, but to love those where it becomes difficult.

We all know that we are living in unusual times, as we witness the violent conflict taking place before our eyes in the Holy Land, and equally in Ukraine, and other places where conflict and war seem to become the norm rather than the exception. We are being bombarded with the evaporation of love and the unity that love brings and fosters to life. We are living in these unusual circumstances where we see the lack of love and what it brings to life. But we also know that unusual times calls for unusual responses. Let us seek the highest good, the command of Jesus to love God, and to love neighbor, as one loves one’s very self. Let us not lose sight of our noble calling to love, and to bring forth the true source of love that we have in God, and the love that we are in Christ for one another.

May the Lord give you peace, and may your hearts rest in the love that sustains us, and that nurtures our love for each other.

I am your brother,

Fr. Larry OFM

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The Eternal Now

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Jesus’ Challenging Parable