THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Friday of 20^th Week in Ordinary time, 2022

Ezk. 37114

Ps 107

Matt 22:34-40

The Great Commandment...love

Dear friends in Christ, there are laws and rules regulating everything in the world today. From religion to trade; national life to personal and private living, the rules are there to help safeguard each one’s rights and also lay out the duties. Although often not written out in our constitutions directly, the whole purpose and end of these rules and guidelines is love. Even those who do not believe in God, have it as a duty to love their neighbor.

Our first reading today (Ezekiel 37:1-14) is a vision of the extent to which God is willing to go with the people of Ezekiel’s time. Ezekiel in a vision was brought to the valley full of dry bones and asked if these bones can live. When he answered that only God knows, he was asked to, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones. Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live...and will cause flesh to come upon you...and put breath in you...and you shall know that I am the Lord." Ezekiel did as he was commanded and the dry bones received flesh and breath, they make a large host. God told Ezekiel, that these represent the house of Israel. God made a promise to the prophet that he will raise his people from their present condition which they refer to themselves as dead and dry bones. The mercy and compassion of God are beyond our understanding. He continues in his love for us all through life and all he demands is that we also show forth that love.

The Gospel (Matthew 22:34-40) concerns the commandments. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” At this time, the teachers of the law had made a collection of a total of 613 laws and each of them taken from the words of Moses --365 of the laws were prohibitions, things that Jews must not do; while 248 were positive commands, what Jews have to do. This question was meant to trap Jesus, His response was, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It is obvious that without love, none of the other commandments is fulfilled. Love is that which moved God to send his Son into the world to redeem it, just as it was in love he created us all. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God. Beyond even a particular religion, one without love is empty. The greatest need of the world today is love beginning from our homes. In homes where people do not share their love, you find so much hatred and problems. In a society where people are greedy and selfish, they will do anything for personal gains, even at the expense of society and their neighbors. Love of God without the love of neighbor takes no one anywhere, for if you cannot love the neighbor whom you see, it is impossible to love God whom you cannot see.

Let us pray: Renew your love is us O Lord. Bind our homes in your love and give us the grace to love others the way you love us. Amen. 

+Remain blessed