"stop, in the name of love"
"You shall love the Lord your God with all..." —Mark 12:30
Think about your relationship with the person you love the most. It's one thing to say: "I love you." It's quite another thing to put everything aside and demonstrate your love for them by devoting your full attention to them for a long period of time.
Married couples are often so busy that they are relegated to sharing a quick "I love you" as they pass each other in the garage. Occasionally, one of the spouses may say: "Time out! Stop! Enough is enough. We're canceling soccer and spending the night together for once." Time spent together enables love to grow.
Does this busy-ness also describe your relationship with God? Jesus tells us in today's Gospel that nothing is more important than loving God with your all (Mk 12:30). It's less important to spend five minutes reading this teaching than it is to spend those five minutes loving God. So, talk to Him; share your worries and joys with Him. Stop right now and start loving God with your all.
Prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I love You totally. I love You to the end of my days. I love You with all my life.
Promise: "If we have died with Him we shall also live with Him; if we hold out to the end we shall also reign with Him." —2 Tm 2:11-12
Praise: The story of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter's martyrdoms comes from their executioner, who became Christian after seeing their courage in dying for Jesus.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
(Love Jesus more by reading the Bible daily. For encouragement, order, listen to or download any or all of these media: Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ, CD 82-1, How to Pray the Bible, CD 82-3, How to Read the Bible, CD 46-3, Principles of Bible Interpretation, CD 79-1.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 20, 2016
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.