LOVE IS LIFE, AND LIFE IS LOVE

 *Sunday, October 29, 2023* 


Thirtieth Sunday of the year A.

First Reading. Exodus 22: 21-27

Psalm 18: 2-4, 47 and 51 (R. 2)

Second Reading. 1 Thessalonians 1: 5-10

Gospel. Matthew 22: 34-40


TOPIC FOR REFLECTION


 *LOVE IS LIFE AND LIFE IS LOVE* 


You can not claim to love God while you spitefully hate your brothers. To love God is to Love your neighbour. 


If you love, you see yourself in others and others in you, but if you hate, you will fail to see yourself in others and others in you


Where love exists, life abounds; such, you find life inside love.

Love is Life, while Hatred is Death


 *HATRED* 


Where love exists, hatred does not 

But where hatred exists, war rules

Where War rules, death becomes cheap 

Where death is cheap, the flesh becomes dry bones 🦴 

Where dry bones exist, life is extinguished.


 *SPIRITUAL MEANING* 


He who lacks love lives with hatred 

He who lives with hatred lacks peace

He who lacks is trouble-minded

A trouble-minded person degenerates

A degenerated person is hopeless

A hopeless person loses confidence in GOD


However, it is only Love that can help to regain Hope in God


 *LOVE ❤️* 


Where love exists, the body rejoices and the soul becomes glorified and nourished.

A nourished soul is motivated by God

A good relationship with God is bound with LOVE.


 *GOOD NEWS* 


My dear, the Spirit that the Lord has put inside of you and me is LOVE. More reason Jesus told the Pharisees who came to test Him that the greatest commandment is Love.

Love of God, and Love of Neighbour.


It is Love because...

The only foundation, strength, and pillar of any relationship is true Love.


Come, let's reason together... 

A good relationship with God needs Love

A good relationship with oneself needs Love

A good relationship with others needs Love.

Love is the ultimate.

No Love, No relationship: No relationship, No life


 *THE REASON LOVE IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT* 


If Love exists, all commandments will be kept

With Love, no one will like to hurt one another

Peace, unity and tranquillity will be promoted, hence JOY and UNENDING HAPPINESS overflows.

With joy and happiness, soul and body become robust and not dry; then life becomes hopeful in God.


Therefore, examining the first reading, the Lord said: 

1. “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 

2. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. 

3. “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. 

4. If ever you take your neighbour’s garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.


My dear, going through the strong warnings from today's first reading, you will discover that it is only those who truly LOVES that can see themselves in others and others in themselves, and yield to God's compassionate appeal, while those who Hate can not and will not yield to the warnings.


In a nutshell, let love lead you. It is only Love that can sustain life.


Remember, where there is no love, there is no life in the self and there is no neighbour. 


 *Peace ✌️ be with you.* 


 *Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.* 


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