following wiTh loVe
Obedience is part of our day-to-day living. As man lives, he cannot but encounter situations that require him to oblige. When we ride a bus we observe that we follow direction. When you go to the supermarket, you follow directions. In simple things that we do, we find that there is always structure that is given to us. Do we think a structure is given just for the sake of having structure? Every structure provides an objective and with this objective, we are required to look into its meaning. How can we find this meaning? This meaning can be found in the sincerity of our heart. What I am trying to say here is that love should be present in all that we do. This is looking at obedience in the context of love.
In today's readings, we see the commandments being given by the Lord to Moses. These commandments are the standards that man should follow. Following these commandments means following the will of God. God wills it because of His love for His people. And as God loves His people, He also wants His people to love one another. Thus, the consequence of His love is for us to love one another. In fulfillment of this, we connect this commandment to the Gospel for today. As Jesus said: “Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Jesus is now inviting us to a higher level of obedience. He wants that the things that we follow and do be deeply rooted in love. Maybe, in our day-to-day living, we cannot see the relevance of what we do or what we follow. Oftentimes, we see the things that happen to us as ordinary. But with these things that we do, Jesus is inviting us to see the importance of what we are doing. Try to do things, no matter how simple, with love. Fr. Joel O. Jason
Reflection Question:
God gave us freedom to obey or reject Him. Only a human person is capable of saying “No” to God. But with the same freedom, only a human person can genuinely and sincerely say “Yes” to God. The choice is yours.
Lord, teach me to love the way You love us. Let Your love overwhelm my entire being so that through love I can understand deeply the meaning of the commandment You have given to us.
St. Chad, Bishop, pray for us.
