Musings on the Commandment of Love
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR BEING, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”.
I would like to ‘parse’ this Rule. The central person in this Rule is “yourself”, not neighbor and not God. Maybe the Rule should read: …….. with all your mind, then “yourself” and then “your neighbor”. Your first relationship is God directed. After all He gave you, along with your parents, life. Picture the cross with you at the crossroad. The upper portion represents your “up-line”. The first four commandments apply to you relationship to the givers of your life – God and your parents. Obeying these commandments generate many graces which enriches you, body & soul. Being at the crossroad, meditations will reveal that God loves you which makes you glow with love of God, not self love. This in turn gives you the desire and the passion on giving love to others.
Picture your two arms on the cross beam. They are able, with God’s love within your soul; to embrace the real needs of “neighbor”. The lower portion of the cross represents your earthly duties to your neighbor, through obeying commandments 5 thru 10. Your arms need to embrace your “neighbor”. This picture serves to point out that doing God’s will is a cross each has to bear; but that is God’s challenge to us. By meeting this challenge, you, yourself, will see God.
This sequence is valid. You have to get God’s love by loving Him to fill your tank with the fuel of His love, before traveling the paths of life and giving God’s love to your ‘neighbor’ regardless of race, color, or creed. If your life is in harms way from your neighbor, you might choose protecting your life and family as the greater good, or, as a soldier of God, you choose to heroically take the risk. I believe that more emphasis is needed to prioritize our spiritual relationships with our life givers, God and parents. Then, this will enhance our love of our personal spiritual life, and guide our actions in fulfilling our obligation to love our ‘neighbor’. Using this analogy of the cross, shows people the exalted role they have in God’s plan. This will give people great motivation to follow God with humility. Jesus told St. Faustina that a good soul performs spiritual and corporal works of mercy continually. “Onward and Upward” my friend.
Laus tibi, Paulus
Submitted by Paul D Kearns
Responses to: cispkearns@aol.com
Sep 26, 2006 © rev1 12/02/07; rev2 09/09/08
