25 August 2023 Only By Grace Reflections
NOTE: Please click the Subscribe key on YouTube and press the black notification bell to receive the daily reflections. Or, open in YouTube for easy access. View and Like. Thank you.
TOPIC: HOW DEEP IS YOUR APPRECIATION ON GOD’S LOVE?
Show More
First Reading: Ruth 1: 1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 146: 5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
Alleluia: Psalms 25: 4b, 5a
Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-40
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asking us to be committed. He desires that we love God wholeheartedly. God should be the first and foremost in our lives. However, Jesus also tells us to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves” as well. Both commandments are challenging. The instruction to love our neighbors as we love ourselves may be more challenging than the first commandment! It often stretches us in uncomfortable ways and situations. We don’t always like our neighbor. Our neighbor may be someone who may have wounded us, insulted or irked us or ignored us. And the emotion that we experience with this person most likely is far from “loving.”
Yet, Jesus calls us to love each and every person we encounter: the ones we like as well as the individuals we prefer to keep our distance from. Jesus is calling to leave aside our differences, biases, and prejudices, and start replacing them with love. Jesus is also calling us to question ourselves, what are our priorities in everything we do as we tend to overtake unimportant situations over the need for love. The message of Jesus is all-embracing and covers all our relationships, from family, friends, business associates and even competitors. But it even goes further than that as we are called to love the wider community.
This is the 1218th installment of our CFC contemplation series focusing on the daily liturgical readings.
[NOTE: As we continue to pray for Bro Bong Arjonillo’s healing and recovery, let us listen to our brother Jess Ferrer, Head of the CFC Migrants Program, as he brings us today's reflection.
All the regular reflections
