Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB
In our first reading from St. Paul to the Colossians
we hear Paul teach a basic truth about Jesus Christ: he is True God and True
Man. Paul goes on to explain that all things were created in him in heaven and
earth.
This teaching of Paul
corresponds to what is said in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 1: “In the beginning* was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John goes
on to say that all things came into being through him and without him nothing
came into being. Then finally in verse 14 we hear John say, “And the Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Jesus’
coming into the world shows the love that God has for all of us. Due to the sin
of our first parents, Adam and Eve, God decided to send his only begotten Son,
the second person of the Trinity, into the world to redeem us and to help us to
have that relationship with God that was lost due to original sin. Through his
life, death and resurrection, we are able to turn to God and have that
relationship that was lacking prior to Jesus coming in the flesh.
In our
gratitude towards Jesus and his love for us, let us return our love to him by
living a life that is worthy of being called Christian. In being Christians, we
are called to love God with our whole mind, heart and soul and to love our
neighbor as ourselves. When we fall short in this love of God and neighbor, let
us turn back to him in the sacrament of confession. In this way we can be
living reflections of God to the world.
On this feast day of St. Mother Teresa of
Calcutta, let us remember what she said regarding love of others:
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without
leaving happier".
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteYES!! Our response to GOD'S love & to the Son of GOD, Our LORD JESUS CHRIST taking on our humanity & dying & rising to save us from our sins & to restore our relationship with GOD is to love GOD with everything within us & to love our neighbor.
One important way we love GOD & love our neighbor is to love Him through loving our neighbor & letting Him love our neighbor through us.
As you mentioned, today is the feast day of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, & she epitomized loving Our LORD IN our neighbor. The Gospel for the "optional memorial" Mass commemorating St. Mother Teresa is taken from Matthew 25, which describes her life & ministry perfectly: "When I was hungry you gave ME food, when I was thirsty you gave ME drink, when I was naked you clothed ME... Whatever you did for the least of my brothers & sisters you did for ME." St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta prayed to JESUS & found Him in the Blessed Sacrament, & for the remainder of her day she found, saw, ministered to & served Our LORD JESUS with great love in ministering to & serving the "poorest of the poor.
Most of us are not called to direct ministry with the "poorest of the poor" in the slums of a faraway Third World country. But there is always something we can & must do to love & serve Our LORD in our neighbor. For most of us it starts with our family members, especially if we have elderly and/or sick parents or other elderly and/or sick members, for children in our family, and a spouse if we are married. My experience aa part time caregiver for my Mom during the last few years of her life when she was dying from stage 4 cancer was definitely an experience of loving Our LORD JESUS in her & a mutual sharing in giving & receiving Our LORD'S love.
Then we need to minister to whomever is "the person in front of us", including whomever we encounter in our daily lives. For example, when we encounter a poor & hungry person on the street by DUNKIN DONUTS we could buy him or her a cup of coffee & a breakfast sandwich.