by Fr. Tommy Lane
Jesus summarized the ten commandments in two: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and secondly, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. It seems to me that if we really knew God, we would automatically love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and would not for a moment put anything before God. If we really knew God, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength would not seem like a commandment because it would be the natural thing to do. So, if we are not loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, I think we can firstly ask ourselves what might be blocking us. One possibility is that we may not understand the love of God for us or God’s mercy towards us or might even be a little afraid of God. In other words, in our minds we may put limits on God’s love for us or put limits on how much forgiveness God can bestow on us. God loves us infinitely and is always loving us and always ready to forgive us. It is we who put limits on God’s love and mercy, not God. Or to put it another way: God made us in his image and likeness, and we sometimes make God in our image and likeness!
John, in his first letter, reminds us over and over again that God is love. In chapter three,
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God (1 John 3:1)
In chapter four,
In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10).
Later in chapter four we read,
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him (1 John 4:16)
Then we come to this important thought in John’s letter, again in chapter four,
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
So, if we are afraid of God, we do not know God’s love. Fear of God and really knowing God’s love, do not go together. We should fear God in the sense of honoring God as God, worshipping God as God, but not be afraid of God. Knowing God’s love for us drives out fear as John said,
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love (1 John 4:18)
It seems to me that if we really knew God’s love, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength would not seem like a commandment because it would be the natural thing to do. So, the first step is to get to know God’s love. How do we do this? By praying, praying, and praying. Spend time with God in prayer every day until prayer becomes a joy and part of your day that you could not miss without your whole day being upset. Pray in a way that is comfortable for you, in a way that brings you close to God. Talk to God with your heart. Pray until you know God’s love for you so that it becomes automatic to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Another thing that may be blocking us from loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength could be not understanding fully God’s mercy towards us. Just look at Jesus showing mercy again and again in the Gospels, and all the parables he taught about God’s mercy, for example, the prodigal son, the joy of the shepherd finding his lost sheep or the woman finding her lost coin. We could talk for hours just on Jesus’ mercy in the Gospels. In a special way in the last century, Jesus revealed his mercy to St. Faustina, and her diary is full of Jesus’ teaching on his mercy. There are hundreds of passages in her diary where Jesus reveals his mercy, and this is just one:
My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace. (Diary of St. Faustina §1485, Kindle Location 9379)
It seems to me that if we really knew God’s mercy, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength would not seem like a commandment because it would be the natural thing to do. So, the first step to get to know God’s mercy is just like getting to know God’s love. How do we do this? By praying, praying, and praying. Spend time with God in prayer every day until prayer becomes a joy and part of your day that you could not miss without your entire day being upset. Pray in a way that is comfortable for you, in a way that brings you close to God. Talk to God with your heart. Pray until you know that God is love and mercy so that it becomes automatic to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
When we know deep within ourselves the love and mercy of God for us, that in turn helps us to love our neighbor when we realize that God loves our neighbor and is merciful to our neighbor just as to us. So really knowing God’s love and mercy for us, is the starting point to loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Thirty-First Sunday of Year B
Loving God and Loving our Neighbor as Ourselves 2018
Related Homilies: Loving God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves
Loving God and neighbor as ourselves 2020
If You Love Me You Will Keep my Commandments
Pagan practices vs. loving God with all our heart
on love of neighbor: Seeing Jesus in others
Loving Others as Jesus Loved Us
Bear with one another Charitably - Love Your Children
If anyone wants to be first he must be servant of all
Second Reading Related: Old Testament priests and the Priesthood of Jesus 2009
stories loving God
stories about loving neighbor as oneself