Reflections of a beloved son

It is not in God’s nature to be unfaithful. To be faithful seemingly then is part of God’s very nature. Our nature does not change with the world around us. Our nature dictates who we are and what we are made of and made for: love. Being unfaithful is not compatible with love, and since God is love, God cannot but be faithful, even when we are not and when we choose to reject Him. Even if we choose to leave Him, He remains faithful and is always waiting for us to come home. He is the Father who never ceases to look for us, and when we do return, He embraces us, welcomes us, and looks tenderly upon us. Let us always remember that who we are does not come from what others may say or believe about us. Our identity and our nature are unchanging because it is rooted in God, who is eternal! Our dignity does not come from man, but from God. Others may talk bad about us and reject us, but the truth that we are loved doesn’t change one bit. Though God may always remain faithful, we may not.

We are called to love.  Notice that we are not asked to love or encouraged to love or even recommended  to love.  We are called  to love.  What does that mean? In today's Gospel reading , a Scribe asked Jesus "Which is the first of all the commandments?"  Jesus replied by quoting Scripture (Deuteronomy and Leviticus), " The first is this:  Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.   The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself .  There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mk. 12:28-31).  Jesus tells the Scribe and all of us that to love God and to love neighbor are the most important things.  There is nothing else you can do that will replace these two commands.  In order to love God and others we must first learn how to receive love.  It is God who loved us first .  We were loved into existence.  Love is