How do you love God?

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 14, 2013

‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’
 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:10-14

Moses said to the people: ‘Obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping those commandments and laws of his that are written in the Book of this Law, and you shall return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

  ‘For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, “Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, “Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” No, the Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.’

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 68:14,17,30-31,33-34,36-37

Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God

and the first-born of all creation,

for in him were created

all things in heaven and on earth:

everything visible and everything invisible,

Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –

all things were created through him and for him.

Before anything was created, he existed,

and he holds all things in unity.

Now the Church is his body,

he is its head.

As he is the Beginning,

he was first to be born from the dead,

so that he should be first in every way;

because God wanted all perfection

to be found in him

and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,

everything in heaven and everything on earth,

when he made peace

by his death on the cross.

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’

 

 But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.'

Reflection

By Mark Rodney Vertido

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us once more of one of the most popular parables, the Good Samaritan. This ironic story tells us that it is not enough that we know and believe God, we also need to act according to what we believe in.

 

I have experienced the help of a Good Samaritan when I was suddenly struck with a serious illness, Hypokalemia Periodic Paralysis, back in 2009. After the Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, at a Carmelite Monastery, I fell down on my knees and I cannot seem to stand. Some people have seen what happened. It was a very hopeless time, nobody tried to help me. I tried to sit at the side of the gates of the monastery waiting to regain my strength. Time passed and it was already dark.  The monastery is closing already but still nobody helped me even those people I expected to help. Fortunately, a Carmelite nun who is closing the gates came. She saw me and asked me what happened and immediately ran for help. She is my Good Samaritan.

 

The parable clearly points out that those who have religious position or those who think they belong to the chosen people were the ones who did not care about the man on the roadside. Being a Good Samaritan means extending help to people who needs immediate help even if it is against your religious practices. Love should rule the laws that we follow.

 

The Catechism tells us that we live “to know, love, and serve the Lord.” It is not enough to say “I believe in God.” It is not enough to say I love the Lord with all my being. It is not enough that you serve God on Sundays or be in Liturgical services. Jesus clearly states that the greatest of the commandments are one, “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind” and two, to “love your neighbor as yourself."

 

Loving God means loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is faith in action. In the first letter of John it states: “If you say, ‘I love God,’ while you hate your brother or sister, you are a liar. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your brother whom you see? We received from Him this commandment: let those who love God also love their neighbors,” (cf 1 John 4:20).

 

But how do we love our neighbors? In a world that teaches individualism and focusing on the self always, it is very difficult for many to love their neighbors. There are many ways how to help but let us focus on a very simple way. We start to the persons closest to us, our family. If we cannot even show our love through caring and respecting them, then we cannot go out and help others. It always starts with the family, the basic unit of society.

 

I always stress to my students that the first thing we can do if we want to love others is to respect and to listen. If we respect individuality and others’ situation, then we can start to listen more. If we will only listen to them, we can give the most appropriate help for them. If we cannot do the extraordinary thing because we are also ordinary people, then start little and slowly it will surely grow.

 

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Christ was incarnated a thousand years ago. And He will continue to be with us if we as believers start to live according to what He taught us. I know that we want to follow Christ in loving God, our Father, and in loving the needy. As we make the sign of the Cross every time we pray, we do not only acknowledge the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but we also remember the ultimate reason why we live. As your fingers touch your forehead, remember that you live “to know God.” As you touch your heart, remember “to love God.” And as you touch your shoulders, remember “to serve God.” And this service extends to our hands for the sake of our neighbors.

 

Let me end my article by asking you to watch this short video.

·         "Make a Stand"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ew9ukjF2II

Prayer

Father, please help us to bring You to others through service and acts of kindness. In Jesus' name. Amen.