There was a very good but imperfect man who was well known for his prayer life, his calm demeanor, his welcoming smile, his playfulness, how he reached out to others, how he interacted with all and how he cared for people. One day while he was reaching out to people, he was shot. This really devastated all who knew him, all who heard of him and all who encountered him in person and they all kept him in their prayers. He survived the assassination attempt and thanked all for their prayers and wishes. Then, immediately reached out with prayers, love and forgiveness to the person who wanted to kill him and even brought him closer to God. This man in question was Karol Józef Wojtyła also known as Saint Pope John Paul II and the man who tried to assassinate him but got converted to following God today was Mehmet Ali Ağca.

This story is a perfect example of what it means to live out the gospel of Love, that is love of God and love of neighbor. Today’s readings all talk about the commandment of Love. In our first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy 6:2-6, Moses tells the Israelites, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today." Our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews 7:23-28 reminds us of how Jesus Christ the True High Priest out of love, offered Himself as a sacrifice for us and for the salvation of the world. Then, Jesus in the gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Mark clearly states and emphasizes the greatest commandment by saying, "the first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So my dear friends in Christ, how have we been able to show our love for God and our neighbor today? As disciples of Christ, we are called to love Him, our love for God should be shown in our love for our neighbors. Do we truly love our neighbors? How can we love our neighbors when we don’t reach out to them, share the word of God with them, bring them closer to God, assist them with our prayers and acts of charity etc? How can we say we love our neighbors when we are racist to them or towards them because of the color of their skin, the language they speak, how they look or their status in life? How can we say we love our neighbors when all we do is try to make them feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, unhappy, sad, frustrated, or worried? How can we say we love our neighbors when all we do is gossip about others, make up lies about them and even spread false, hurtful and malicious rumors about them?

My brothers and sisters in Christ, remember Jesus’s words to us today in the gospel reading, “the first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And let us work harder in our spiritual lives so as to live out, proclaim and spread Christ’s gospel of Love in our thoughts, words and actions today. Amen!

RevFICO
RevFICO

Editor & Spiritual Director