Today's celebration also happens to fall on the 31st of October--All Hallows Eve (or Halloween). In the Gospel reading, we are reminded that the greatest commandments are 1. to love your God with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and 2. to love your neighbor as yourself. This "is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." In his homily, our pastor pointed out that everything we do for God needs to be done out of love; if we just go through the motions of prayer, praise, and charity or do so only out of hope for future reward, then we are missing the point of God's message.
Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples that the way we treat our fellow human beings is how we are treating Him. This means utterly loving everyone. I will point out that this does not mean just doing anything that they might want. Too many people mistake love for submission; although subordinating ones desires for another's can be part of love, love should be deeper than surface gratifications. This means that service for one another is part of our service to God. Certainly, attending church, taking part in the sacraments, and prayer are beneficial to our spiritual growth, but they should be part of our preparation for a greater service to our community.
God wants to enter eternal paradise, but to do so, we should first work at making our world a better place for all of His children.
Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples that the way we treat our fellow human beings is how we are treating Him. This means utterly loving everyone. I will point out that this does not mean just doing anything that they might want. Too many people mistake love for submission; although subordinating ones desires for another's can be part of love, love should be deeper than surface gratifications. This means that service for one another is part of our service to God. Certainly, attending church, taking part in the sacraments, and prayer are beneficial to our spiritual growth, but they should be part of our preparation for a greater service to our community.
God wants to enter eternal paradise, but to do so, we should first work at making our world a better place for all of His children.
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