Readings: Ruth 1:1,3-6,14-16,22, Ps. 146:5-10, Matthew 22:34-40
“But Ruth said, ‘Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.’” (Ruth 1:16-17)
The love of God is the summary of all the commandments. To love God is to value God from the depths of your heart. At the heart of Christian worship is love. To love is to worship. In other words, if we love God, we would truly worship him by keeping every one of his commandments. To love God is to sacrifice your will to do the will of God.
Take away love, and our worship of God loses its value. This was why Jesus asked Peter the same question three times. “Do you love me?” “Peter, do you love me more than these?” “Peter, do you love me?” How can we claim to be serving God if we love other things more than God?
The first and greatest commandment is also intricately connected to the second commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Of course, as St. John says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20).
The Story of Ruth and Naomi in the Bible is a story of love. Ruth refused to leave Naomi, her mother-in-law, because she was wise enough to know that Naomi, an aged woman, could not survive without help. Here comes another lesson in love: care for the old.
Love is empty if it doesn’t require anything from you. True love requires sacrificing for others, especially for the old. Just as loving God demands our wholehearted worship, loving our neighbours also demands sacrifice on our part.
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary (the fifth glorious mystery). Today’s feast is a sequel to that we celebrated on 15 August: the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The entire life of Mary is a confirmation of the words of Jesus: “With God, all things are possible.” From the fact that a virgin became pregnant without intercourse to the fact that she remained a virgin even while married to Joseph and lived a sinless life, even to being assumed into heaven, it defies human logic. To doubt anything about Mary is to think there is a limit to what God can do.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, help us love you better each day. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Our Lady, Mother and Queen. Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: Ruth 1:1,3-6,14-16,22, Ps. 146:5-10, Matthew 22:34-40)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu