LOVE CONQUERS ALL THINGS

⏰Monday of the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (13 July 2020)

📖Isa 1:10-17; Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 (R.v.23bc); Matt 10:34 – 11:1

Beloved in Christ, at the beginning of this new working week, the prophet Isaiah instructs us that showing love to one another worths more than offering sacrifice to God (see Isa 1:10-17). Remember that we cannot love God perfectly if we have not learnt to love one another.

The family is a kind of perfect love that ought to exist among us. In a normal family, everybody supposedly think of what would benefit others, that is, selfless love. It is the kind of love that Jesus had for us, his brothers, that led him to die on the cross for us.

With that in mind, confusion might set in as to what Jesus was driving at in Matt 10:34-39. It might seem that Jesus did not come for peace and that he is trying to destroy the standard of family love.

First of all, we must note that in that passage, Jesus made use of a typical writing technique – hyperbole, which exaggerates statements in order to make a strong point. So Jesus is not actually saying that you must hate your family members to follow him. He is rather saying that we must not allow anything, not even family, to distract us from loving God. Family love ought to lead us to love God more and not the other way.

How much do we love God? Do we really love him above all things? In this new working week, let us try to allow the love of God triumph in our lives, and let this be translated into our relationship with our neighbour.

May God’s love really be a banner over you as you go about your business in this week and grant success over the works of your hands. Amen.

Have a loving and successful working week. Peace be with you.