1,345 total reads
Gospel Reading for October 25, 2026 – Matthew 22: 34-40
LOVING OFFERING
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “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 the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
————
The one word that describes the commandments is LOVE. This is why we do not even have to memorize the Ten Commandments to follow them. As long as we do things with LOVE and treat others and all of God’s creation with LOVE, we cannot go against God.
The Pharisees were engaging in an exercise in futility by testing the Son of God, who could never be outsmarted by any human being. They could not appreciate what Jesus taught because they had their own interpretations that served their selfish interests. No wonder Jesus called them hypocrites.
For St. Thérèse of Lisieux, LOVE was her vocation in life. In fact, doing her best even in the little things was something she practiced every single day. This made her life a truly LOVING OFFERING to God.
If we could emulate her, the world would be such a beautiful place to live in.
Lord Jesus, may our love continue to grow until our dying day. Amen
