THEME:THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT(LOVE OF GOD AND HUMANITY)
In today's Gospel, Jesus summarizes the Ten Commandments of Moses
into two Great Commandments of Love: "You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with
all your strength," and "You shall love your neighbor as you love
yourself." Thus, loving God is not just fulfilling Sunday obligations,
praying the rosary and novenas, and participating in many religious
activities; otherwise it will only be a religion of mere form, reduced
to vanity and perverse sentiments. Jesus speaks about loving God with
our entire being – heart, mind, and strength. A heart that is free
from constant grumbling and complaint, a mind that is in conformity
with God's will, and a strength shown in deeds directed toward God.

Yet, we cannot say we love God if we hate our neighbor. That's
hypocrisy. Jesus stressed love of neighbor, too. Besides our family,
let us be aware of others around us and show concern to those who most
need our help – the sick, the homeless, the poor, the hungry. What can
we do to help? What can we share with our neighbor, God's gifts to us
– time, talent, and treasure? We are only stewards of God's gifts to
us and we have an obligation of love to share these with others. If we
love God and serve others with a generous heart, we are not far from
the kingdom of God.

PRAYER:May we always learn to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and our neighbor as ourself!