First Reading Commentary
One of the biggest obstacles to overcome when
taking the tiny steps that eventually lead to a conversion experience is
whether or not a life in service to the Lord will take away one’s freedom
because “You shall not” are words frequently used in the laws of God. Love is the key to it all. Even our limited knowledge of God’s gift of
love and our duty to share and spread His love is enough to know that when exercised
properly, “You shall not” need not be
burdensome. Even with the miniscule
knowledge we have on this vast and portions unreachable subject of love, it’s
obvious that killing, committing adultery, stealing, molesting, oppressing, or
wronging anyone in anyway has absolutely nothing to do with love. And if we understand that, then “You shall
not” is not something we need to exhaust our energies on. On the other hand, love is hovering, but not obviously
visible in the words “You shall not”.
Those of us who are parents understand that any
warnings given to our children are done because we love them and want what’s
best for them, even though that is not always evident to our children. In the same way, God warns His children
because He loves us far beyond what we are capable of grasping; and like the
children of God we are, His love is not always perceived by us in the words
“You shall not”.
Second Reading Commentary
Do you have a favorite saint? If so, perhaps it’s because there’s something
in his/her personality that you can identify with; or maybe you have nothing in
common with them but in your mind their particular brand of holiness in life is
something you would like to achieve.
Our personal connection to saints, for the most
part, is the result of our desire to be imitators of them and ask God to grant
us the same graces He gave them. It has
been suggested, however, that saints choose us – we don’t choose them. Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians that they
became imitators of him and the Lord.
And, of course, our attempt to imitate any saint is an attempt to
imitate the Lord.
Some of us are fortunate to have a model for all
believers in our personal life; that is, a person or persons who are destined
to be saints when their earthly journey ends.
The sanctity of other souls, whether still in a human body or residents
of heaven, can greatly influence us for the better; just as associating
ourselves with quite the opposite can do great harm. Through the intercession of the saints as
well as the beautiful people in our lives, may we too become models for all
believers and saints for all eternity.
Gospel Commentary
Jesus sums up the law as “Love”. Love the Lord your God and your neighbor; and
do it with your whole heart, soul and mind.
To quote from “Reflections” by the late Father Leo Clifford, OFM: “A
song is not a song until it has been sung; a bell is not a bell until it has
been rung. And love is not love until it
has been given away.”
Every gift we have received from God is intended
to be shared. And yet, love is that one
gift in which the damages of hoarding it can actually be experienced interiorly
if we’re paying attention. If love for
one another does not abound, then surely apathy or hate will. When love is not offered to others, then what
possesses our lives is that all too familiar trinity of me, myself, and I.
It’s human nature to run away from the
cross. But that greatest outpouring of
love by our Lord Jesus Christ continues to flow into us and is then, by the
combination of free will and illimitable celestial motivation, poured out from
us when the world has to bear its heavier crosses such as 9/11, the tsunami, Katrina,
ISIS, Ebola, to name only some. There is
an enigmatic connection to suffering and love.
But perhaps what makes this suffering/love union so ambiguous, is that
its Source is our invisible God.
Our Lord and Savior often communicates to our
souls, by equally obscure means, that our avoidance of the cross at all costs will
ultimately lead to the undesirable encounter with the humbling and gasping
reality of just how temporal we are capable of being.
