"IF ONLY THIS IS DONE, IT IS ENOUGH"
"Charity
begins at home," that is, with the persons we live with and work with
every day.
St. John the
Apostle lived to an advanced age. Toward the end of his life he was so feeble
that he had to be carried to church. Though he could not preach at length
because of his elderliness, he insisted on saying something at Mass. His
message was brief and it was always the same: "My children, love one
another." People were bored with regularity of his words, and finally
someone got up enough courage to ask, "Master, why do you always say the
same thing?" John patiently and calmly replied, "Because it is the
command of the Lord; if only this is done, it is enough."
St. John was indeed
imitating Jesus who never wearied of preaching the command of love, a command
that we have heard once again in today's Gospel of Mark. To love God and love
one's neighbor is the greatest commandment of all. Our Lord never tired of
repeating it; may we never tire of hearing it, because there is certainly a
great need for love in our world. These two commands keep us close to the heart
of God.
John was right in
saying, "If only this is done, it is enough." If love were the
controlling force on this earth, there would be no wars, no riots, and no
injustices. We know that we are far from this ideal. Where do we start? I think
the answer is obvious. We must start within the framework of our personal
lives. "Charity begins at home," that is, with the persons we live
with and work with every day. There is no point in complaining about the lack
of love that produces wars and riots and injustice if love is not the motivating
force in our personal lives. And Jesus knows that there is a lot more room for
love in the lives of each one of us.
By declaring our
love for God, the outward action of our love toward others takes us from Mass
each day and then sends us out into the world. At the end of Mass we say:
"Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord." This service is made known
in actions of love to others, actions driven by the heart and passion of God
revealed in worship. Then from our action in the world we return to the God who
sent us for praise, thanksgiving and renewed faith. Just as our heart sends
rich blood into the body and returns poor oxygen to the lungs for renewal, love
of God and love of neighbor keep us close to the heart of God. That is what we
pray today in the responsorial psalm: "I am the Lord your God: hear My
voice" (Ps 81), so that we will be close to His heart!
We again and again
hear about the command of love. May we never be tired of hearing it, and may we
never give up trying to practice it. "It is the command of the Lord; if
only this is done, it is enough."