30th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Over the past week or so many people have gone back into lockdown or circuit breaker and for many people this has been hard. In terms of business, health and well being the next few weeks and even months will be hard going with many business not reopening. With all of this going on around us we stop to reflect and we remember all that we have come through over the past 6 months and we thank god that we are able to be here and talk about our experiences. We remember in a particular way those who have lost their lives, those who are working in our hospitals and health care facilities and all those families that are not together as a result of the current regulations. We look forward to better times as we deal with our current situation.
There is a saying that “Love makes the world go ’round.” Have you ever had the overwhelming sense you were loved? How do you know you are loved? In spite of the cynics from the board room to the court room to the news room, love does motivate people to keep going in hard times . The Pharisees in the Gospel Reading for this Sunday are all out to get Jesus because he had silenced the Sadducees. In an attempt to do this they asked him this question Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. It is hard to love someone that we have never met in person but we love God because many others have passed on their love of God to us. There is a sense in which we could say that it takes a lifetime of practice to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, to live the first commandment, putting God before all else. To direct us all our lives God has given us guidelines, the Ten Commandments and he also gives us things like the beatitudes as well many people who have given the love of god to us.
So many people in the modern world have decided to turn away from God and from spiritual things. We as the Church have to face up to the fact that the love that god has for each of us means little or nothing for many of today’s people. Love of God. Love of neighbour is Easy to talk about and Difficult to live out especially in our own time and place. In spite of the difficulties this love in action will change us and our surroundings All we need to do is to try and live like Jesus did. we should take one step at a time towards our creator and our fellow human beings and this will provide us with great reward. And we should not worry where we are going even during the current COVID19 related trouble, for God’s Spirit will lead the way and give us the courage to keep on going despite any difficulties we might encounter along the road.
Fullerton T 