Khi chúng ta yêu một ai đó, chúng ta luôn cố gắng hết sức làm vui lòng người ấy. Chúng ta muốn làm cho người mình yêu được hạnh phúc, vui vẻ. Chúng ta thể hiện tình yêu theo nhiều cách khác nhau; bằng lời nói thật lòng, chân thật và tỏ lộ tình yêu, trong việc tặng quà và phục vụ, trong sự cảm thông và có mắt với người mình thương khi có việc….
How do we show our love of God? We declare our love in our prayers. We spend quality time with God in prayer, at Masses and religious services. We serve God through people and his Church. We show love and respect to God by showing love and respect to religious objects and places.
How do we show our love of neighbor? Jesus' account of the Last Judgment is his model for love of neighbor: "Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to see me." (Mt 25: 34 – 36)
"Lord, when did we see you hungry . . . thirsty . . . a stranger . . . naked. . . sick or in prison. . .?" "The King will answer, 'Truly, I say to you: whenever you did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.'" (Mt 25: 37 – 40)
And to those on his left, "Go, cursed people, out of my sight into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! . . . Whatever you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do for me." (Mt 25: 41 – 45) Is there a better way to express or describe how to "love your neighbor as yourself?"
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37–39
We are very familiar with this passage above. It is Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees who came to test Jesus. Prior to this, a group of Sadducees tried to trap Jesus and failed. So now it was the Pharisees who gave it their best shot to trap our Lord. Of course, Jesus’ answer was perfect. And upon the conclusion of this answer, Jesus returned the favor by asking the Pharisees some questions that they could not answer, and they dared not ask Him any further questions at that time.
Sometimes, being challenged by another in matters of faith helps us, in that it allows us to clarify what we actually believe. Though Jesus did not need clarity for His own sake, He did offer this clarity in the face of trickery so as to help both the Pharisees as well as His followers who were listening attentively.
Have you ever been challenged by another about matters of faith? If so, what was your response? Were you able to respond by the inspiration and clarity given by the Holy Spirit? Or did you walk away confused and unable to respond? Having our faith challenged by another will either result in our own confusion or in our deeper understanding.
By answering this question in the way that Jesus did, He presented the entire Law given by Moses in the Ten Commandments in a new and summarized way. The first three of the Ten Commandments have to do with love of God, and the last seven have to do with love of neighbor. The second commandment Jesus gives, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” is a consequence of the first commandment. How do you “love yourself?” You do so by fulfilling the first commandment Jesus gave: “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” When God is loved above all, then loving your neighbor simply means that you love God Who dwells within your neighbor in accord with the way God loves them.
It is also helpful to note that it is possible to “love” our neighbor in such a way that is contrary to the love of God. For example, if our love of neighbor is expressed in such a way that is contrary to the Love of God, then this is not true love. Let’s say that your neighbor has chosen a gravely immoral lifestyle. How do you love them with the love of God? You don’t say to them “I support you in your immoral living.” Doing so is not love of God; it’s a selfish form of love that cares more about how the person will respond back to you than caring for their eternal soul. The right form of love for one who has gone astray in an objectively immoral way is to let them know you love them but do not support the choices they are making. And though they may respond negatively to this, caring for their eternal salvation must supersede every desire to simply get along with them.
Love of neighbor, at times, especially when the “neighbor” is a family member who has turned from God, can be challenging. But when it is, think about the way that the Sadducees and Pharisees tried to constantly trap Jesus. He always gave the perfect response of love and never allowed their misguided conversation to leave confusion. So with us, we must rely upon the wisdom and love of God when loving another is difficult. God must guide our every conversation in that case so that the other knows they are loved and so that our love does not deviate from the pure love of God.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to love God above all and to love your neighbor with that same love that you have for God. If you find loving someone is difficult, pray for the wisdom you need to remain faithful to them in God’s love alone. And if you find your love challenged, rely upon our Lord to lead you and to give you the words you need when you need them the most.
My loving Lord, You love all people with a perfect love, and You call us all to love You with our whole heart, soul and mind. And You call us to love others with the love You have for them. Fill my heart with love of You and all people, especially those who are most difficult to love. Give me wisdom, dear Lord, to know how to love others in You so that they will experience Your perfect love in their lives. Jesus, I trust in You!
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I thank you for creating and redeeming me and for inviting me to a deeper relationship with you. I believe in you and hope you will sustain me. I ask for the grace to love others as you do.
1. The First Commandment: Jesus teaches us to love God above all else. Love means taking the beloved into account before making important decisions. It is natural to avoid behaviors that would hurt, harm, or disrespect a loved one. So, too, we should be attentive that our actions are pleasing to God. If we consult a spouse before making a big decision, why wouldn’t we pray and consult God about what is happening in our lives? God is always ready to listen and to offer counsel. Let us turn to him when faced with important decisions, showing him the greatest love and respect, and full of confidence that he will guide us.
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, I invite you into my heart today. Teach me the way to love. Teach me to love serving you and following your law. Help me to move from a spirituality that is focused only on commandments to one which is focused on loving you. Help me to move away from doing the least required of me, to wanting to give above and beyond the minimum, because I love you.
Which Is the Greatest? Jesus struggled to overcome this kind of question in his teaching and throughout his life. This question stems from the pharisaical perspective, which focuses on laws and commandments as the only guideposts for life. The Pharisees enforced a strict norm for how everything should be done, and wanted to live their lives neatly within that norm. They were centered on knowing and following the laws of God. For them, greatness was defined by following the commandments. Their false perfectionism blinded them to Jesus and they could not understand his law of love. In what ways are we limited by our narrow perspectives and unable to receive what Jesus is trying to teach us?
Điền răn nào là đìền răn quan trọng nhất của các điều răn của Chúa? Chỉ có một điều răn duy nhất đó là yêu mến Thiên Chúa hết ình, hết cả tâm hồn và hết cả trí không của chúng ta, hai là yêu thương những người lân cận như chính mình, đây là một phần mở rộng của đèu răn thứ nhất. cả hai điều nàu luôn luôn phải được đi với nhau và không thể tách rời. Thương yêu không nhất thiết phải là có những cảm xúc hay thậm chí thích một ai đó. Nhưng còn có nghĩa là biết trung thành, trung tín, có tâm hồn quảng đại và biết quan tâm đến những phúc lợi và hạnh phúc của những người khác, thậm chí cả những người không ưa mà còn ghét chúng ta và không thèm đáp trả lại tình yêu của chúng ta.
Trong Kinh Thánh, Luân lý và Đạo đức học đều được tóm gọn trong đó một điều răn. Để tuân giữ và sống với điều răn này là để đi trong đường lối của Thiên Chúa; Nếu như không làm như vậy là tự mình lìa tách xa ra khỏi tình yêu của Thiên Chúa bất kể là chúng ta có đạo đức như thế nào", một người có thể được. Chúng ta hãy cố gắng đặt ý chí, lời nói và hành động của chúng ta trong sự biểu hiện của giới răn này.
Lạy Chúa, xin Chúa dạy cho chúng con những bài học về tình yêu. Và cũng xin Chúa mởi rộng trái tim của chúng con để chúng con biết sẵn sàng đón nhận tình yêu của Chúa qua những người anh chị em khốn khó của Chúng con.
Love means many things, such as loyalty, fidelity, and always thinking of the other. Ruth showed all of these qualities. Ruth was not an Israelite but from Moab. The folks from Moab were not regarded very highly by Israelites. After her Israelite husband died, she had the opportunity to return to her people — her mother-in-law Naomi released her from all obligations. But she stayed — she cast her lot with her beloved mother-in-law even though it involved risk. Wherever Naomi would go, so would Ruth, and she would adopt the God of Israel as her own. This is a touching and challenging story in a world where commitment and loyalty seem to be disappearing.
What is the greatest of the commandments? There is only one — love God with everything that you have and all that is in you. The second part — to love your neighbor as yourself — is an extension of the first. The two go together and cannot be separated. Love is not necessarily warm feelings or even liking someone. It means being faithful, loyal, kind, and concerned for the well-being and happiness of others, even those who do not return that love. The Bible, ethics, and morality are all summed up in that one commandment. To live this commandment is to walk in God’s ways; not to do so is to walk away from God regardless of how 'religious' a person might be. Let every thought, word, and action be an expression of this commandment.
Lord, teach me the lessons of love.
Current teachers of the law continue to struggle with the answer of Jesus to the question – "Which is the most important commandment in the Law?" It is clear from Jesus' teachings that the most important commandment is that we should love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind – in effect, our whole being. The second commandment, which is like the first, is that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. We must take note that this love for self and neighbor comes only second to love for God. We should love our visible self and neighbor as our means of loving the invisible God. Love of self and neighbor must be subordinated to the love for God and must never result in disobedience to the will of God.
Our love for ourselves and our neighbor sometimes tempts us to disobey the will of God when certain matters cause us inconvenience or hardship. We desire to plan the number of our children so that we could give them life of ease and comfort, provide them with good education for a better future. Many of our neighbors suffer destitution and could no longer afford to provide the means for a better life for their children. These are tempting situations which some of us use as excuses to disobey the will of God for the sake of love of self and neighbor.
Do we sometimes let our love for our neighbor, the poor, cause us to close our eyes to the will of God, to the extent of allowing them to kill the babies in their wombs because they would find it hard to support too many children? Or even to thwart the will of God to give life to their intended children through artificial contraception, for the sake of saving them from the inconvenience or burden of supporting those children?
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