Friday, February 19, 2010

"YOU SHALL LOVE...."

[Jesus] said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Matthew 22:37-40

Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up the twofold love of God and neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought. If, on the other hand, a man draws a meaning from them that may be used for the building up of love, even though he does not happen upon the precise meaning which the author whom he reads intended to express in that place, his error is not pernicious, and he is wholly clear from the charge of deception. (St. Augustine - On Christian Doctrine 1.36[40])

Powerful words from St. Augustine concerning Jesus' powerful summary of the law and the prophets.

H/T to Tobias Haller at In a Godward Direction for the quote from Augustine.

See also Paul the BB's post A thought or two.

Does the God in whom you believe love creation, including us?

If the answer to that last question is "No," then your deity is either uninteresting or repugnant.

1 John 4:16

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

Thus far, the only Lenten discipline that I've decided on is to attend Evening Prayer, Lenten meditation, and silent reflection on Thursday evenings at St. John. Time is passing, and that may be my one consistent discipline. If so, if I'm faithful to that one discipline, I will be doing better than I've done in a good many Lents in the past. And perhaps it would be an entirely good thing to spend a bit of time pondering God's love for us and pondering and practicing my love for God and my love for neighbor.

8 comments:

  1. Hard to go wrong with that focus.

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  2. Nice quote from Augustine. Difficult to disagree.

    And perhaps it would be an entirely good thing to spend a bit of time pondering God's love for us and pondering and practicing my love for God and my love for neighbor

    Absolutely.

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  3. Seems like you are doing well this Lent.

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  4. Jan, ask me after Easter how was my Lent. ;-)

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  5. Sometimes I think the real challenge in this scripture lies in the second part of the command to love our neighbor as ourselves.

    How often do we fail to love ourselves as much as God loves us? How does that affect our ability to love our neighbor?

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  6. How often do we fail to love ourselves as much as God loves us? How does that affect our ability to love our neighbor?

    annski, I believe that failing to love ourselves greatly affects our ability to love our neighbor. When I'm tempted to put myself down as unlovable, I remind myself that I'm God's creation, and God said that all he creates is good. How then can I put myself down? I love myself, not because I'm better than anyone else in any way, but because God loves me. And God loves you, and you, and you, and how dare I declare any of God's creatures unlovable?

    At least, that's how it goes in theory but perhaps not 100% in practice. :-)

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