Reflection for Oct. 29, 2023

Love of God and neighbor goes beyond emotions

by Sister Charlene Hockers

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind …
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Mt. 22:37-39)

Have we heard this before? Yes, many times. We know that Jesus tells us this is the greatest commandment. Do we believe this? Do we live like that?

We all have priorities in our life. What is our most important one? Jesus tells us that love of God and neighbor should form the framework of our lives and inspire all our actions. We need to place God at the center of our lives.

Love of God and of neighbor are really just one commandment. Our love for God is expressed in the care and concern we show for others. The smallest of actions done out of love reflect our love of God in the faces of those for whom we care. The love we give to God and to each other show that we are Christ’s disciples.

We need to remember that love is not always something we feel. Love goes beyond emotions. It’s not so much what we feel as how we act. To show we love God, we need to make time to be with Jesus in prayer, even if we don’t feel like it.  To show we love our neighbor, we need to care for them, even in small ways.

Can we make this a priority in our life? We can do this by:

• Smile and greet those you meet every day.
• Give a helping hand when you see someone who needs it.
• Be aware of God’s presence in nature, yourself and those around you.
• Giving time to someone when you need to put aside your own need.

And many other ways that come your way each day.