I want to reflect on Sunday= s gospel with you. We saw the news as the woman took her three children and walked to the end of the pier and dropped them in the Pacific Ocean then walked away. Of course it caught the news. People are shocked! How is it possible? This is unnatural! The journalist on T.V. tried to be sensitive but I think it= s never very sensitive interviewing a relative - it= s wrong! Couldn’t somebody do something about it?

We know that people have psychological problems and pressures that others are unaware of so we understand that it= s possible for people to do things. But at least it shows that there= s some kind of conscience in our society. Let= s not be deceived because we are obviously not very conscious of having a conscience about abortion and many other things.

Then you have the Pharisees. They come to Jesus, they gather to test him about what= s the greatest commandment. The text doesn’t tell us what they were thinking of. Were they thinking that Jesus is going to answer that the greatest commandment is keep the Sabbath? Or is it you shall not kill? Or is it make sure you pay the temple tax? So we have no idea what they were thinking that they were going to trap him with. But they certainly thought they could do it. Jesus, who is the truth, stands and says, love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole heart and all your soul and your neighbor as yourself.

Why does Jesus do that? Why didn’t Jesus say, praise God every day? Go to the temple regularly. Take care of the poor. That= s not what he says. He said this because we become what we love and the way we love what we love. That= s why it= s the greatest commandment. God never asks anything of us that he himself does not do.

What do we believe by creation? Creation of each of us is an act of God that basically says, yes to you. I= m happy you exist! And it= s based on something very profound, mainly you are made in the image and likeness of God. It doesn’t stop there. When we were in sin he took on our sins to heal us so it shows us he loves the person, not our action.

I don= t know any parent, who love their children, that when the child gets on drugs that they would like to get rid of the drugs. They love the child and they= ll do anything to get the drugs out of them. Well Jesus has died for our sins. Knowing that we can= t love on our own power he did something even further he gives us his own life, especially in the Eucharist, and therefore empowers us to be loving.

So we have the solution to life and can keep the great commandments because God is, first of all, embracing us in tenderness and care and happy that we are. Secondly, he empowers us with his own love to become loving persons.

Starting with John= s epistle we know that this is the perfection of life because the epistle says, love casts out all fear. If you read Chapter 7 of the Rule what happens at the end of humility? Now life begins to be harmonious and empowered to do good without fear and a happy life. It doesn’t mean we don= t have difficulties, it means basically, that our life is centered on God and therefore it flows into our life and our life is unfolding in surrender and trust and we fulfill God= s design for us.