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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - We must love God with all our heart and above everything. One day a doctor of the Law questioned Jesus to out him to the test: “Master which is the greatest of the commandments ?” (Matthew 22, 36). Jesus replies: “You must 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” (Matthew 22, 37-38).
Jesus refers to the commandments which God gave to Moses: “Listen Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one (another version: Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh). You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart. You shall tell them to your children, and keep on telling them, when you are sitting at home, when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are standing up” (Deuteronomy 6, 4-7).
To love God is not a proposal it is a Commandment (see cfr. Act of Contrition, Fides 23/3/2007). This love is a response to God’s love for his people, and it means also fear (respect) for God, desire to serve him and obey his commandments. Jesus refers to this text when he says the greatest commandment is to love God, with a filial not servile love. Saint John explains: “In love there is no room for fear, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear implies punishment and no one who is afraid has come to perfection in love. Let us love, then, because he first loved us…” (1 Letter John 4, 18a, 19).
How can we love God? The incarnate Word of God (cfr. Jn 1, 1, 14), explains: “If you love me you will keep my commandments … Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.… Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him.” (Jn 14, 21, 15, 21, 23).
To love God we must first recognise His sublime and gentle love for us which is offered not imposed …: “See, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person's side.” (Revelation 3, 20).
To love God means opening the door and living intimately with Him and therefore eternal life starts here on earth: “And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn 17, 3). (to be continued) (J.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/4/2007, righe 32, parole 485)
