Reflection for August 19, Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 22:34-40

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  

He said to him, “You shall 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. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

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Reflection:

A wife discovered that her husband had a second family. The very angry wife left her husband however the husband begged for forgiveness and second chance. After deeply pondering about it she eventually forgave her repentant husband.  

When she was asked by her mother why she forgave and restored everything as if nothing happened. She said: “I deeply love God and I would be betraying my love for God if I will not forgive and heal my marriage.  

Conflict is something that happens in marriage every now and then. This conflict usually emanates from the following: Betrayal of trust, behavioral incompatibility and financial disagreements among others. Every married couple goes through these episodes in their married lives.  

But how come that notwithstanding the conflict there are couples who choose to forgive and remain married until the end of their lives? The simple answer is both of them love the Lord God first. And this love for God is the driving force that makes them forgiving and loving.   

Their love for each other is always preceded by the blessing of their love for God. This is the reason why married couples who truly loved God first can forgive, forget and have long term healing. They can start afresh once again as if nothing happened.  

So the greatest commandment is to love God first and after that everything else would follow. We would be capable of loving anyone else even those who’ve deeply hurt us because we first loved God. 

If you don’t forgive and if you continue to harbor hidden sentiments against your spouse or anyone for that matter. And you still say that you love God it’s safe to say that your profession of love for God is superficial.  

Therefore, the challenge that confronts you is to think deeply if your love for God is really authentic. – Marino J. Dasmarinas