When one of the Scribes asked Jesus which was the first of all the commandments, Jesus replied to love God alone with all of one's heart, soul, mind and strength...and to love neighbor as oneself. A compact and neat formula, but the template for a lifetime's efforts. (Cf. Mk 12: 28-29). To love with all one's being demands inner strength and a depth of commitment that stems from the core of our being. It does not flinch when challenged or faced with discouragement, doubt or weariness. It overcomes these, being the strongest force we know, for it flows from the essence of God. It is not just an abstraction nor a fantasy, but a reality that moves us to give all for the sake of "the other."
The pandemic brought love out of us all in ways we never before imagined, and yet, simultaneously, the effect of the absence of love have come forward in frightening ways in the racism, violence, burnings, shootings, lootings and riots we have seen across the nation and world. We hope and believe that the power of this first and greatest of commandments will prevail. Each one of us in our little corner of the world needs to take this commandment seriously and put it into action.
Bro. Rene
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