By Eddie MacDonald
Today’s readings are a summary of how to be sure to get into heaven, so we must listen carefully! It follows on this past week’s readings on the Beatitudes, how blessed we can be if we spiritually align with Christ. If we are poor in spirit, meek, a peacekeeper, a mourner, a martyr, one persecuted for his name’s sake, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness; we will share in the kingdom of heaven. Yet today, from Moses in the first reading, to the Gospel, right from the mouth of Jesus, we hear the summary of how to get into heaven. How frustrated the Lord must be with us, that He must always simplify Himself as we just don’t get it!
Moses tells us to love our God with all our heart, and soul and strength. It’s surprising that the Israelites needed to hear this message considering they saw miraculous power of God! Yet being people with a hardened heart they kept going back to the false gods and idols- remember that golden calf? We could say we don’t have trouble with idols, no golden calves in our lives, but do we? How easily we get distracted from doing what we know we should do. Idols like watching TV, following Hollywood’s famous, skipping Mass to go to sports events, or playing one more game on our phone or computer. Just not putting God first in our life.
The Psalms always offers a way to communicate to our God. We can align our hearts to the Psalmist in our sorrow, our need for courage, the experience of joy and even in our anger! Today we speak of the certainty of our commitment to God and our acknowledgement of his power when we repeat the refrain “I love you Lord, my strength!”
In the second reading Paul writes to the Hebrews reaffirming that Jesus is the high priest, in fact the only priest who is without sin. All others may try but, in their humanity, fail miserably. We are to look to no other, he is the one in which all are to follow. In essence, He through His priestly way brings us to the Father, interceding for us! What an incredible gift from on high!
Finally, Jesus tells us what the most important commandment is: To love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Secondly, he added to love your neighbor as yourself. Again, putting God our Father first, acknowledging and loving him with intensity! And, through loving him we then take that love to those around us, each a neighbor in this life. Finally, he included that hinge word – AS. To love your neighbor AS yourself. Yes friends, we need to love ourselves. We are created in His image, by His hand with His plan for us. When we drift away from that plan He gives us a way back through the sacrament of reconciliation. He loves us, therefore we can and should love ourselves. How else can we fully love our neighbor? Don’t be afraid to look at yourself as God sees you. His beautiful creation that He loves.