Love stems from a commitment. Jesus’ commandment is to form relationships – a relationship with God and relationships with people. Loving relationships require time and effort and are not always convenient. They ask us to prioritize the Divine and people over material possessions or appearances. This commitment to others and to God changes our actions. It effects how we spend our time, where we put our money, how we pray, how we care for our common home, and how we serve the most vulnerable. Jesus modeled this love throughout his life. He sat with the sick, dying, poor, outcast, lonely, and forgotten, and entered into relationship with them so they knew love. In turn, Jesus calls us to do the same.
Sometimes we get in our own way. The lure of wealth, power, knowledge, and prestige hinder our ability to love. David Brooks writes about the difference between résumé virtues and eulogy virtues. We often worry about appearing the best that we forget we should simply love the best.
When we open our eyes to see the expansiveness of God’s love in the people that surround us, we draw into a deeper relationship with the Divine. We cannot always anticipate the impact that each new relationship will have on our lives and vice versa. God is calling us to be open to the love that is waiting for us and to share that love with others. Our small acts of love may make an impact that we only hear about from heaven.
--Meghan Larsen-Reidy
Image source: Georges Rouault, Christ and Mammon, https://emuseum.vassar.edu/objects/5494/christ-and-mammon-by-roger-lacouriere-for-passion
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