You know the Beatles said it best, “All you need is LOVE”. The readings today are all about LOVE. The LOVE of God for us, the LOVE that God wants from us, and the LOVE He wants us to show others. Not just those who LOVE us but everybody, even those who don’t want our LOVE. Not an easy task, is it? In fact it’s pretty hard.
But like anything else in LIFE it gets easier and easier the more you do it. Just like athletes or in my case martial artists - the more you train – the skill becomes second nature. You can do it with out thinking – it becomes part of you. That’s what we are being called to do by our Lord, train, train, train…
My wife compared it to getting a new cell phone. Just recently we both got new cell phones. Mine can do anything a lap top computer can do and hers has more functions than I can remember. The funny thing is that when you get a new phone it comes with this instruction manual thing that most of us don’t even read. My wife just wants her phone to make calls and I want mine to sit up and bark on command.
I can spend days learning how to use my phone so that it can enhance my life and make things easier for me and she just gets frustrated. When it comes to cell phones she would be happy with the JITTER BUG phone. Have you seen those commercials? It’s just a basic phone. I on the other hand am the techno nut. I want to be able to utilize every feature.
Basically living the LIFE of LOVE that we are called to by our LORD takes more effort than just turning the phone on and punching the number you want to call. You have to spend time reading the instruction manual. In our case that would be the BIBLE. We even have a manual to help us interpret the BIBLE it’s the Catechism of the Catholic Church. How much better can it get?
Do want to be a JITTER BUG Catholic or the Techno nut Catholic who wants to know everything so it can make our lives better and easier to walk the path of Christ.
A priest friend of mine, Fr. Stan Fortuna, wrote this song, “F.A.M.I.L.Y”. Forget About Me I Love You. That’s it in a nutshell.
The first part, Forget About Me, assumes that you know you are loved by God and others. So before you can Forget About Me you have to love and respect yourself. You may be thinking,” Isn’t that a little selfish”? No, it’s not a selfish thought. Think about the Gospel reading,” You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.
The Second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as YOURSELF. Let me repeat that: You shall love your neighbor as YOURSELF.
So we base our LOVE on GOD first, who allows us to love ourselves – not in a selfish self-centered way but by way of the Gospel. In 1John4:19 we are told, “We love because He loved us first.” It’s all about our Almighty God.
But some of us here today may be thinking, “Why would God love me because I’ve done this or that?” Remember that God’s love is bigger and deeper than anything we can imagine. Jesus, God’s Son, suffered and died on the cross out of love for us – even those who tortured and crucified Him. That’s some powerful love.
To truly live the life of LOVE – you have to LOVE everybody. So often I’ve heard, “I LOVE God but I don’t LOVE so and so… Those people just don’t get it. Check it out – St. Augustine said, “LOVE of God is first to be commanded, but LOVE of neighbor is the first to be put into practice.”
So how do we live this Life of LOVE – the LOVE of the gospel? Remember F.A.M.I.L.Y
A few things to help us with this great task of LOVE:
1) Don’t judge others
2) Practice the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.
3) Love your enemies, forgive everyone who wrongs you.
We are all broken and this can seem hard - and it is. But with the help of God all things are possible! He can provide the strength we need to help us love HIM, each other, and ourselves. YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE FAITH AND PUT YOUR COMPLETE TRUST IN HIM WHO SAVED US+
I know it is sometimes hard to forgive but that’s what we pray every time we pray the LORD’S PRAYER. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Be careful what you pray for – we are asking GOD to forgive us the same as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Basically if you want forgiveness you have to forgive…
The Church teaches us in the Catechism: It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense, but the heart that offers itself to the HOLY SPIRIT who turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession.” (CCC 2843)
The Holy Spirit turns hurt into compassion. We no longer have to waste the pain, but can pray for those who cause us problems and hurt us. WE CAN FIND MEANING IN OUR SUFFERING. This, my brothers and sisters in Christ is the GOOD NEWS.
I want to leave you with part of the song written by friend Fr. Stan –
F.A.M.I.L.Y:
Forget About Me I Love You
The world is ready for somethin brand new
People been wearin the question what would Jesus do
I know you seen it - WWJD
Are you ready for the answer?
Yo it’s f.a.m.i.l.y.*
We need a new humanity
We’re way too selfish, it’s devilish
How do you deal with the craziness?
Worldliness is deadliness
With all the excess still got no happiness*
Don’t you know how to spell family?
We got to be selfless don’t you agree?
F.A.M. FORGET ABOUT ME
I.L.Y. I LOVE YOU +
Be God's forever+
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