Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
Who do we love most? Today Jesus makes us think about that question. He says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
He is fleshing out the two greatest commandments: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). Then, Jesus adds the second commandment that flows from the love of God: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
The greatest gift we can give to one another is to love God above all things. For us, as Christians, that means to love Jesus more than anyone or anything else in this world.
When we do that, we expand our hearts to receive God’s love. And that is the love we give to our fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, neighbors and friends.
To love God more than anything else allows us to love one another with the love that God gives to us.
Jesus also reminds us that following him involves the cross. Love requires sacrifice. Why? Because love is a gift of the self, first for God, and then for those we encounter every day. Jesus would say that love requires us to lose our lives for his sake. And this is the model we take into every worthwhile relationship - to give of ourselves, and in the process, to find ourselves.
Have a blessed week everyone.
