Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I love this first reading. This was the reading that my brother and sister-in-law chose as the first reading at their wedding. Whenever I hear it I am brought back to that day – sitting in the church, filled with excitement to see this couple who God had clearly brought together and who God had very definite plans for. And to know that their marriage was beginning with these words at their core was beautiful.
When you think of a wedding night, our secular society wants us to think of the passion and the physical intimacy of the newlyweds. While that is good and beautiful I love that in this reading, before any of these special and beautiful actions happen, first the couple prays and asks for the Lord’s blessing. They make Christ their center. And that is the challenge given to us throughout today’s readings. Make God the center. Make God the center of your marriage, your work, your family, and your lives. When you can honestly do that, you will be amazed to see what God uses you to do.
This same message is clear to us in today’s Gospel as well. When asked what the first and greatest commandment is, Jesus was quick to answer. He tells us that we are called to love God with all our heart, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as our self. Here again we hear that our central goal is to love, but not just earthly love. We are called to more than that – we are called to love as Christ loves. This is a love that will challenge us. To love as Christ loves requires sacrifice, dedication and hard work.
During my time at Maggie’s Place, a home of hospitality for homeless pregnant women, we talked a lot about the radical nature of love. They recently put this on their website and I think it is fitting for today. “Love is messy. Love is not easy, it is not always gentle. It is not boring or stagnant. Love does not seek to avoid difficult encounters. Love is not one dimensional. It does not fit neatly into a category. It does not rejoice in misfortune but in welcoming others. It reveals all things, says hard things and celebrates good things. It shows up to thing. Love Rocks!”
Love does rock. And when you love as Christ loves, it will rock your world. My prayer for today is that each of us will choose to make one intentional change in our lives that will put God back in the center of our lives. And with God at the center we may have the strength to love as Christ loves. Amen.
- Amanda Grimm