Today we heard Jesus answer the question, “What is the Greatest of the Commandments?” His answer was “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” and secondly, ”you should love your neighbor as yourself”. These are the two commandments on which everything in life hangs. You see, they are two sides of the same coin. If you want to know how well you love God, look at how you are loving your neighbor. You cannot have one without the other. Yes, we know that Christianity is all about love. But how do we define this love. You know, too many of us think of love as fuzzy, warm feelings. Well it is and it isn’t. Yes, it is an emotion, but the kind of love Jesus demands is much more than that. Warm feelings don’t feed the poor or help a person in need. Love is a matter of what one does as opposed to what one feels.

You may remember when Jesus said ”love others as I have loved you”. He is the gold standard by which we measure our love. Jesus’s love is unconditional. He doesn’t discriminate or reserve His love for a chosen few. He doesn’t withhold love for those who are undeserving. No, His love is there for all. It reminds me of the unconditional love a parent has for a child. At times this type of love can be difficult, especially when we are going through life’s trials. People are going to hurt us from time to time. They are going to treat us unfairly or abandon us when we need them. But we should love them anyway. I am reminded of the inspirational words of St. Theresa of Calcutta:

“The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.”

You know, this beat-up, crazy world is watching us carefully and wondering if our faith is genuine. How do we live that faith so that others are convinced? Love. The kingdom of God is built and maintained by love. Christ’s love for us is the only hope for an increasingly disturbed world. As Christians, we are called to remember this and share it with others. Remember, every opportunity we have to love someone around us is an opportunity to love God.