Loving God

Blessed Mother and Baby Jesus and Peruvian Saints - Window Kamiano Center

1 John 4: 19 - 21

We love, because he first loved us.

If any one 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.

And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.

 EWTN

The above scriptural passage is from today's first reading.

How is it possible for us to say we love God if we do not love our neighbor.

We have two commandments that we must obey:  We must love God with our whole hearts and we must love our neighbor as ourselves.

If we do not love our neighbor then we cannot possibly love God.

How many times a day have we:

- been impatient with someone who is holding us up in a line or walking down the street or driving too slowly in front of us?

- been annoyed at a family member for little things.   However, if they had been a stranger, we would have treated them with more respect and patience?

- criticized someone behind their back?

-  said no to our children when they interrupt what we are doing and asked us to do something for them?

- walked by a homeless person without even a smile or greeting them, let alone helping them?

- getting angry at outspoken or pushy people.

- putting our wants and needs before those of our spouse or family member or even friends.

- been envious or unhappy when a friend gets more attention than we do?

- not keeping silent when someone says mean or unkind things to us or about us?

- not visited or called a lonely or sick friend?

If we have done any of the above, we are in danger of not loving God first but instead, loving ourselves more.

It is not easy to change our nature, habits or personalities just because we want to.  We need to pray for the grace to be more kind, more patient, more loving towards others.  We need to pray for the grace, to love others more and ourselves less.  We cannot do it alone. We need to be like little children who rely on their parents for everything.  We need to depend on God to help us love others more so that we can love Him more.