Scripture:
Reflection:
Receive the Love of God
Only Jesus’ love can break the spell of self so that we no longer live for ourselves but for Him. (2 Cor 5:15) We love God, ourselves, or anyone because the Lord first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). When we receive God’s love, we stop being preoccupied with ourselves and start to, “love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength. (Mk 12:30)
Jesus asks the scribe, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” The man’s answer moves Jesus to say, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” God commands us to love him, and by that very command makes it possible. God says, “I am like a verdant cypress tree; because of me you bear fruit!” And “if my people would walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat” (Hosea 14) This is fulfilled in the Eucharist.
Don’t be addicted to self or love of self. Receive the love of God as he says, “I will heal their defection, I will love them freely.” (Hosea 14:5) When you do this your are able to love your neighbor as yourself. We human beings are addicted to ourselves because of our fallen nature, we are self-absorbed and egomaniacs. We are naturally preoccupied with ourselves and automatically live to do our own thing. Sometimes this addiction to self is passed off as a love for ourselves. However, addiction to self is closer to self-hatred than to self-love.
How can we break free of our addiction to self so that we can love ourselves and thereby love our neighbor as ourselves? As we are baptized into, and immersed into the Lord’s love, we forget about ourselves and, paradoxically, begin to love ourselves (see Mt 10:39). Receive His love! Give His love to Him, yourself, and others! Amen.
Deacon Peter Smith serves at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, in Tucson, Arizona. He is a retired Theology teacher from Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, a retired soldier of the United States Air Force, a Graduate student at Xavier University of Ohio, and a member of the Passionist Family.