A Few Words On "The Word"

July 15, 2007
The 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Luke 10:25-37

Go All Out!

Can you recall a time that you gave everything you had in an attempt to reach a goal? Perhaps you went "all out" for a friend's surprise birthday party. Did you go above and beyond what was required of you when completing a project or assignment for school or work? Maybe you competed in an event that required you to push your limits to the edge.

We're taught from an early age to do our best and give 100%. Our parents, teachers, and coaches tell us that success is often defined by how hard we try, not whether we win or lose. Though we may not always get the grade we wanted or the trophy we hoped for, we can be happy with our efforts if we know we gave everything we had in the pursuit of our goal.

In today's reading Jesus applies the principles we've learned about giving all we have. Jesus doesn't just ask us to love God above all else. He makes it clear that we must love God with everything we've got: our heart, our being, our strength, and our mind. Our zeal for God isn't the area of life where we can slack off and become complacent. Our intense and passionate love for God should be a higher priority than any other accomplishments we might achieve.

What's amazing about the way Jesus lived is that he doesn't just leave us with this incredible challenge. He shows us how we can begin to love God with all we have. In addition to loving God we must also love our neighbor. Though it can sometimes be difficult and very challenging, we must realize that part of loving God is to love those around us. We have to give 100% of who we are to another person and expect nothing in return.

The reality is that loving other people can sometimes be discouraging. It's a never-ending effort that often produces few visible results. In fact, it sometimes leaves us feeling like we may have no energy left to love God. Fortunately, what's truly amazing about serving others and being peacemakers is that it helps us to see the face of God in those around us. We begin to realize that loving God goes hand in hand with loving our neighbor. Loving those around us points us back to loving God.

In the end, we just have to remember the bottom line. It's not always about the results of our labor, which we may never see. It's really about giving it all we have, loving God and others to the best of our ability.

Reflection Question

What are you doing to make loving Jesus and others with more enthusiasm a reality in your life?

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