Gospels explained by Jesus - Gospel messages, gospels explanation |
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Matthew 22:34-40
Year A -
30th Sunday in ordinary time
Love God and love your neighbor as yourself
I want you to write this in your heart: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength. Then love your neighbor as yourself.”
The first commandment of the law is to love God, but let us examine this love with the eyes of the spirit. To love God with all your heart implies loving with every beat of your heart. But how many times has your heart been beating for your sinful desires, how many times have you treasured things of the world or persons and placed them in your heart, therefore taking away the place that is mine? You are a temple of my Spirit, but how many times have you invited the evil spirits of your passions to fill my temple with your wickedness and how many times have you rejected my love? To love God with all your mind implies that you think constantly of me. It is asking you to thank me daily for the gift of life, for the gifts that you receive during the day and for the gifts that you will receive when you live your life for me. But do you live for me? Do you think of me more than you think about your money, or your possessions, or the persons that you love or your worries and fears? To love God with all your soul implies that you live a life consecrated to me. The soul is your eternal body, unlike your physical body it is the temple of your spirit and it is either full of light with my presence or it becomes dark with the presence of the evil one. Your soul has been contaminated with your sins, I have the power to forgive you and restore you to purity, but I ask of you not to sin anymore. To love God with all your strength implies combining all your physical and mental faculties to express your love and adoration to God. True worshippers worship in spirit and in truth, they understand that it is God calling in their hearts and they respond like the angels, therefore ensuring their salvation by living holy lives. Your love for God must not be contaminated with self-love. You love yourself up to the point of becoming selfish, which is really bad. But let this love of yourself be the measure for the love you must give to your neighbor. When you pray for your desires, make this also a prayer for your neighbor. You cannot love me unless you love your neighbor, therefore start by forgiving those who have wronged you, be kind and compassionate, be generous. Remember that you will find me very easily in the needs of others. Start a new life making up for the love you have denied me, love me and in this way you will experience my unfailing infinite love.
Received by: Joseph
of Jesus and Mary
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34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
