Today is the last day of the month of October. Tomorrow starts another month and the celebration of all saints and all souls day as well as Halloween. We give thee thanks to the Almighty Father for another end of the month full of grace and mercy, blessings, love and hope.
As we celebrate the goodness of the Lord each and everyday, we give our thanks and pray today as we read the Gospel that may we always be guided and bless by the Lord. Showered us with all the blessings in life. Let's read the good news of the Lord and ponder from it as we live our lives according to him and his commandments.
Lead image from Unsplash
Holy Gospel
Mark 12:28-34
28 One of the scribes who had listened to them debating appreciated that Jesus had given a good answer and put a further question to him, 'Which is the first of all the commandments?' Jesus replied, 'This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'The scribe said to him, 'Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true, that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And after that no one dared to question him any more.
Reflection
Today's gospel talk about commandments. This two commandments are, firstly to love God with all our heart,soul, mind and strength, and second is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength
This commandment is very hard for most of us. I would admit, even I myself had hard time to be honest. I couldn't say I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength I am a hypocrite if I say so.
To love God with all heart means to trust him fully with no doubt and worries, no uncertainties but I doubt, and definitely worried most times. Which means I question his will, his power and means I don't trust him fully. Some part of my heart is with worldly things, goals and dreams. I may say it wasn't whole anymore.
To love God with all my soul means that I offer myself to him pure and no sinfulness. But I committed sins over and over again. Continued bad habits of lying, cursing, hatred, grudges and a lot more sins that made my soul impure. Which means I don't love him with all my soul.
To love God with all my mind means I will think of good things that glorifies the Lord and his name but no, my mind is occupied with a lot of things and mostly are worries and negative thoughts. Some are dirty too. Thus, I could say not with all of my mind.
To love him with all my strength means to dedicate my strength to glorify his name and would always say yes to things that needs effort and my full engagement such as service and helping others but no. Most of my strength are wasted laying in my bed. Having the phone in my hands from raise up until doze off. Sometimes I even forget to pray and give thanks to all his blessings. I usually say no to activities that would bring glory to his name for busy schedule that was said to be excuse. That reasons I failed to love him with all my strength.
Failing to love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength over and over again but I constantly try my best. I know I failed to do his first commandment and is not worthy of his grace, blessings, love and mercy anymore but he is God. He don't do manly standard of love for he continue to shower me his grace, blessings, love and mercy even though I failed a thousand times. Therefore I could say that I still have chance to try and try with all my might and best that I could give to fulfill his first commandment to love him with all my heart, no more doubts, worries instead a 100% trust in him. To love him with all my soul, to continue to try to not sin, to not hold grudges, hatred and no more lies and impurities. To love him with all my mind, no more negative thoughts and dirty mind. To love with all strength to give my all to him. I know it's hard but I will try my best, I may fail a thousand times but I will use his loving grace and mercy as a chance to continue trying with my all.
To love our neighbor as we love ourselves
To love our neighbors is the hardest especially to the neighbors who tend to become the people we hated so much. One that is very much challenging to handle because of their personalities and attitude. I could say even family members is very much hard to get along and always get trouble even though we always see each other, ate together, sleep together and grow together every time and everyday. How much more the neighbors who is not with us all the time. The neighbors who have different personalities and outlooks in life than ours. Especially those neighbors who tend to say bad things to us, judge us, and look down unto us. Yes, I tell you I do have all that kinds of neighbors. Those plastics one and very much knowledgeable people. Oh come on! They are the most hard to love. Therefore I also fail to do the second commandments.
In the past, I always pray for them but not to forgive them but to curse them. But then I realized it's not good and it is a sin to curse other people just because they done no good to you. Now that I came to realized that I need to forgive them and pray for their good will. I came to appreciate things and realized it's much better and for my own good. To have peaceful mind and life that help you become more successful. Yes, I am not lying life is more easier in that way. I don't hate the people around me anymore but just their doings. I accepted them for who they are and that they are human beings just like me. That way everything is much lighter and much peaceful.
The gospel for today become very personal to me as God talk to me personally and remind me of things that I should be doing. Things that I fail to do as a human being. Yes, I wasn't able to do his commandments 100% and totally. Yes, I tend to fail and commits lapses but his love. The love that is the message of this gospel today reminds me that I should try my best because his love is my unending chances. To try to do his commandments as I am living in this world. That's the very important thing, we try. Even though we failed many times but if we try sooner or later God will make it happen for us. He will make us able to do all of what he commanded. All we have to is surrender to him our all. And he will make it happened.
As we see deeper of how the Lord's love towards us is very much great. To love us unconditionally even if we are sinful, we are how we see our neighbors, towards the Lord. But his love never stops, it continues and it's endless. It's hopeful and never stop giving chances to us. Hopeful that someday we will change. I will do my best to not waste those chance and those hopes.
Happy Sunday everyone. God loves us all.
Thank you to my dearest sponsors. May God bless you. I pray your good health and your safety wherever you are right now.
Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate you all. Keep safe and God bless.
Glory to God in the highest. Thank you for sharing the gospelđź’“