Today, the essence of the the entire Christian faith is neatly distilled down into a single Gospel passage: ”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.” Each of us were individually created by God and designed for infinite love, happiness, and fulfillment. The commandment to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength comes from God’s infinite love for us. We are commanded to love him because it is only in so doing that we come to our greatest and highest personal fulfillment.
This love cannot be hidden away or hoarded, however. It must be shared. And when it is shared with others, it multiplies and takes on a new life of its own. Christ promises that whenever we do anything for another out of love, we truly do it for him as well. We show our love for Christ through the love, care, patience, and charity we share with those whom we encounter in the little moments of everyday life
Lent is an important season of self-reflection and pruning. It is a time to renew and rededicate and reorient our lives. Do we really desire to live for God above all else? Do we strive to love him in all that we do? Do we make intentional attempts to love those around us as we love ourselves? As we continue through Lent, let us reflect on the areas of our lives that are most in need of pruning so that we can live most fully into the mysteries of Holy Week with our whole hearts, minds, and strength.