Today, Friday, March 8, Rev. Fr. Mark Mandela Anyigba reflects on the day’s Gospel reading wherein we are told two great commandments.
The first is to love the Lord our God “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” And the second, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31).
“The word Love is one of great depth, of relationship, and of great importance in life. St. John tells us that God is love, a love that is creative and self-giving, that desires the best for each of us, the Priest said, while also underscoring the fact that we are called to love God, love each other, and ourselves as given life by God.
He further urged Faithful to pray for a deeper appreciation of love, for the freedom to accept it more fully, and to live it as Christ Himself did in a “self-giving way”.
“Loving means sharing our life with the loved one and this is shown in action and not merely in words. Love is directed at the good of the other”, Fr. Mandela said.
In Lent, the priest said we are called to sacrifice our own comfort for the good of others, thus we are invited to reach out to others in love.
In conclusion, Fr. Mandela further encouraged Faithful to be deliberate about reaching out to the needy and less privileged among us.