Mass Prep Sunday November 4th 2018

Sunday November 4^th, 2018      31^st Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Greatest Commandment

The tie in between today’s readings: Do You Love Me?

Psalm 18:2-4, Psalm 18:47-51, Deuteronomy 6:2-6, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 12:28-34

     Listen, everyone! I am God, the only God, and I command you to totally love Me.  Wow! Who does God think He is? Run. Jump. Stop. Go. Love! Is love just another verb, an action word of duty, like kiss your smelly Aunt Roberta? Don’t I have a free will in this? Can God really order me to have affection for Him or direct it to someone else, like my adversarial neighbor?  If you examine today’s reading in Deuteronomy, which is also echoed in the gospel, the answer is yes. Since love is a command, love therefore, is a commitment, not an emotion to be expressed. It is a total act of my will to do all in my power for another’s benefit. Fickle sentiments ride in the backseat.  Love is purposeful, dependable, and real. But how can I love a God that I cannot see?

     It’s like dating. You can’t love God until you get to know Him. A lot of us have preconceived notions of who God is or what He’s like, with no more validity than a teenage girl dreaming of the perfect guy. This makes God in our image. Lose It! He’s written a book for you to see the kind of personal being that He really is. You’ll discover the genuine love of grace and mercy, of compassion and sacrifice that He’s committed to you; your knight in shining armor. You’ll find a God worth loving. Then, you give your heart. This is our emotional response to God first loving us. It’s the rush of the believer’s new converted life. It’s the willingness to please, to discover more, and to be with God in prayer and meditation because He is precious. Where your treasure is, so will your heart be.  The beautiful thing is the more you think of God, the more you will desire Him. When you give you heart to Jesus, God gives a new heart for Him to you. There is no end to the depth and richness of a life filled with a heartfelt love of God. Pursue it!

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     Dating God with your mind and heart leads to a commitment of your soul. Your eternal soul is your core being: your personality, inner self, and identity. Loving God with your soul involves personal choices in your lifestyle. It’s like being married: the two become one. You desire to live a life of faithfulness and devotion, forsaking all others (obstacles) that get in the way. You want to live obediently, pleasing to Him and under His guidance. Here you find out that instead of struggling to live a life that is sinless, your dedication to God nurtures you into a life where you sin less. No fake religious airs or pious triteness here: you’re the real deal. And that takes strength.

    Loving God with all your strength is transformative. It’s the tough love of God changing you into the image of Jesus. He answers your prayers, but not how you think. He gives: trials to produce patience, broken heartedness for understanding, calamity to cultivate trust, and humiliation to make you great. He breaks you down and gives spiritual gifts to build you up. He wants you to see what He sees, feel what he feels, and be His hands in this world. You can love you neighbor as yourself, from your very soul, because you have the strength of the Lord, the mind of Christ, and a heart for God.

     So why do I want to love God? Is it because if I don’t then He’ll get mad and zap me? Of course not, instead, its’ the fulfillment of life’s purpose. We were made to have a relationship with God.  God’s command for us to love Him drives us in that direction. In fact, if I reject the love of God and choose to live a hedonistic, self centered, transient lifestyle; I am really zapping myself.  What’s it like for you? Do you know about Jesus who loved you first, who bore your sins upon a cross, and constantly lives to make intercessions for you to the Father (Psalm 18, Hebrews 7)? Have you given your heart to God? Do you want to be in His word and in prayer more than binge watch Netflix? Can you commit to Him, become one with Him as if you were married.  Persevere when the going gets tough, for better or for worse. The real question is not “do you love God?”, but more like “are you in love with God?”  If not, then you have some soul searching to do. If so, then you know the relationship is not about you. Look around and pray beyond your nose. Let your light shine out to a world in need…for the love of God.