Skip to main content

Central Expressions of Love

1st Tuesday of Lent
Feast of Saint Conrad of Piacenza


IN TODAY'S GOSPEL (Matthew 6:7-15) the Lord taught the crowd the right way to pray to the Father, the prayer Christians later named as the Lord's Prayer. He taught prayer as a child talking to his father. The first part of the prayer must be an expression of worship to the Father--may your name be held holy (v.9)--and an affirmation of our commitment to follow His will in our lives--your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven (v. 10). The second part consists of addressing our need for help to physically survive--give us today our daily bread (v. 11)--to be forgiven for our transgressions--And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us (v. 12)--and to be spared from the temptation of the devil--And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one (v. 13).
 
The center of this prayer that Jesus taught his disciples is the love of God and our fitting response to that love. God expresses His love to us through His generosity of grace and providence (our daily bread), His willingness to forgive us if we forgive others (v. 12), and His protective grace against the seduction of the evil one (v. 13). And our fitting response is to be grateful for the Father's love by worshipping Him alone and by following His will. These are responses of love because these can only happen when we truly love God. We cannot truly worship God if we do not love him. We cannot really follow His will if our heart is far from Him.
 
In effect, the only road to God is the road of love, the complete surrender to the love of God.
 
FATHER, thank you for Your unending love for us. Thank you for making Your love flow upon us so that our hearts may be overwhelmed with it; so that we may stay inside Your love for the rest of our earthly lives.
 
LORD, thank you for letting yourself be the persona of God's love for us. Your sacrifice on the Cross reveals to us a love that knows no bound even in death in order to save us from perdition. Teach us to be grateful children of your Father, who too is our own. Teach us to be like you in following the will of your Father even to death. Amen.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

In God's Loving Care

Seventh Saturday of Easter TODAY'S GOSPEL (John 21:20-25) tells of a final scene before the Lord ascended into Heaven. As the newly appointed leader of the Church that would take care of the Lord's sheep  when He physically goes back to His Father, Peter had started thinking of maximizing the Apostles and disciples under him in order to reach as many Jews and Gentiles as possible. But obviously, he had nothing in mind for the beloved apostle, John. So he asked the Lord, what about him? And the Lord replied: What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? The Lord concluded His response with an exhortation for Peter to do instead: You follow me .  In this account from John, the Lord reminds us of the primacy of God's will as the purpose of our lives. He tells us that our vocations are personal calls of a personal God. And only the person being called can exactly understand that call.  Neither must we concern ourselves for the fut...
Post a Comment
Read more

Even in the Darkest of Nights

4th Friday in the Ordinary Time TODAY'S GOSPEL (Mark 6:14-29) veers away from the ministerial account of Jesus and retells on a portion of the life of Herod and the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Saint Mark tells on how Herodias, the concubine Herod and the wife of Herod's brother Philip, plotted to have John killed.   Of all Herod's faults, he was right in one thing: John was a holy person. Herod respected John. He knew John to be an upright and holy man and kept him safe (v. 20a). That respect was so strong that even Herodias could not plot to kill John openly. However, although life also involves respect for the beloved, respect is not love. A person can respect another without loving him. And Herod was a slave to his pride, vanity, and sexual impulses. When these vices started to demand commitment, Herod could not deny it even at the cost of killing the holy man John.   Herod still had the grace of insight into the heart of John. He knew John accurately...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Love that Fills

7th Sunday of Easter Solemnity of the Pentecost IN TODAY'S GOSPEL (John 7.37-39), the Beloved Apostle recalled Jesus speaking before the Jews in the synagogue during the last and greatest day of the feast. The Lord invited the people of Israel who thirst amid the evils of life to come to Him and be filled. Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.  Interestingly, the Lord did not invite those who do not thirst to come to him. And this lack of invitation has profound meaning to reflect upon. He did not invite them because either (a) they are self-sufficient in their lives and think they do not need the Holy Spirit, or (b) they are so close to the Lord anyway no invitation would be necessary. The first group of people believed they do not need a drink; the second are already drinking what the Lord can give. Above all that, the Lord sought to fill those who thirst. He came to bring everlasting water to those whose souls thirsted for God. Lord, I thirst for you all through my...
Post a Comment
Read more