Today is March 28, Friday of the Third Week of Lent.
At today’s Mass, we hear: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk 12:28-29).
Jesus tells us that we must love God with everything that we are: heart, soul, mind and strength. God poured this love into our hearts when we were baptized into Jesus Christ. As Paul says to the Romans, “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rm 5:5).
God has loved us immensely. Through the love given to us in baptism, we are brought into communion and friendship with God. We are able to love him in return. In fact, we have no choice but to love him above all things.
Loving the Creator more than his creation
But this is the difficulty. Our hearts are fickle. The desire we have for our own flourishing and happiness seems to be insatiable in this world. Since the world is good and reflects the goodness of God in various and multiple ways, our hearts are often distracted by the created things we see around us. If we are not careful, we are liable to fall in love with the creation rather than the Creator.
Creation is good and draws us to God. But if we love creation more than God, we have created idols for ourselves.
Take stock of what you love this Lent. What is drawing your heart? What have you set above all things? Perhaps our love can use some purification. The more we fall in love with God, the nearer we come to his kingdom.
Let us pray,
Pour your grace into our hearts, we pray, O Lord, that we may be constantly drawn away from unruly desires and obey by your own gift the heavenly teaching you give us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
