Today we hear Moses’ proclamation of the first commandment upon which all commandments are rooted. If we adhere to this commandment, disobeying others would not seem possible. Can we truly love God with all our being if we disobey the remainder of the commandments? Indeed, it is the essence of this unconditional love of God prompting us to obey.
I wonder how we are capable of perfect love. Perhaps it is in our constant striving and awareness while on life’s journey to achieve that total love of God. So human am I when my mind drifts while I am in prayer. My thoughts often veer toward what is going on in my life, my worries, my plans, my family and friends. How can we give ourselves, body, mind, and spirit to the Lord?
Jesus affirms our ability to achieve unconditional love of God when he says, “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Faith enables us to move the mountainous stumbling blocks of our hearts and minds.
When we read the history of the saints, we see that they persistently prayed for a strong faith as they strived to love God with all their hearts, minds, and strength. Perhaps It is in recognizing and gratifying God’s magnificence that we can begin anew to pursue that true love and devotion. Let’s begin with looking at creation with new eyes, from the miracles of nature to the miracle of human life and ultimately to, ‘God so loved the world that he sent his only son’ to redeem us and promise us life eternal.
Prayer
Lord our God, who fill the heavens of the universe, all creation visible and invisible, exalts your name and witnesses to your might. May the praise your Church directs to you each day resound throughout the earth and continue unceasingly to eternity. Amen. (From Praise God In His Holy Place, Father Bernard Camire SSS)