Daily Inspiration

“One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: 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. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.” -Mark 12:28-34

It is impossible to love the Lord with all our being yet not love our neighbor. The exchange of love between the Holy Trinity and ourselves brings divine revelation; we all belong to God, who came as a ransom for us from the bondage of sin. The loss of even one soul is an unfathomable pain for Christ.

To love the Lord is to surrender ourselves to Him, and once we do, our eyes are opened. We see our neighbor across the street or across the oceans and deserts. A great concern brews in us for the well-being of their souls. We begin to pray for them as we pray for ourselves; may God have mercy on us all.

I am the most blessed of men. God allowed me to live in a place absent of Him and return to speak of it. Once there, I understood there is but one enemy, and he is not man. My focus now is that no other soul should ever experience the crushing pain of living an eternity absent of the Lord because I know the pain associated with that loss.

Saint Marcellin Champagnat, pray for us.

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Jesus, I trust in you!