Without loving God who is pure and unadulterated love, peace and joy how can we truly hope to love ourselves or others the way we are meant to love them. If you have not truly loved the Lord Your God then you might not fully understand what I’m talking about. Perhaps this might shed a little light….
Even though I am a cradle Catholic I did not really have a relationship with the Lord. Nor could I truly say I loved Him neither would I ever declare that He loved me. So when I would attend Mass on Sunday and folks from time to time would greet me saying, “Peace be with you brother.” I would smile nod my head but say silently under my breath, “What a bunch of fanatics! I have only one sister and so who are you calling brother?” You could say I led a rather self centred life perhaps with care only for my family. And at the time would never admit that I was quite dead inside. Always searching for love and meaning in life.
That all changed having encountered the Lord in a deep personal way! My heart bigger and fonder through Him, as He breathed new life into me. I began to see the parishioners in my Church as fellow sisters and brothers in Christ. And began to form lasting familial relationships with many of them. Such that attending the Eucharistic Celebration was truly a celebration of life together as one big joyous family.
So sisters and brothers come as you are to the Lord today and everyday. Love Him and allow Him to fill you with His love and with His grace. Then together we sing His praises with joyful hearts. Amen
First reading
Ezekiel 37:1-14
A vision of Israel’s death and resurrectionThe hand of the Lord was laid on me, and he carried me away by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley, a valley full of bones. He made me walk up and down among them. There were vast quantities of these bones on the ground the whole length of the valley; and they were quite dried up. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘You know, Lord.’ He said, ‘Prophesy over these bones. Say, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this to these bones: I am now going to make the breath enter you, and you will live. I shall put sinews on you, I shall make flesh grow on you, I shall cover you with skin and give you breath, and you will live; and you will learn that I am the Lord.”’ I prophesied as I had been ordered. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a sound of clattering; and the bones joined together. I looked, and saw that they were covered with sinews; flesh was growing on them and skin was covering them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, “The Lord says this: Come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dead; let them live!”’ I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army.
Then he said, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They keep saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope has gone; we are as good as dead.” So prophesy. Say to them, “The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
Gospel
Matthew 22:34-40
The commandments of loveWhen the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’
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