Dear Friends,
 
“Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, 
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.”
 
This is the well-known first commandment of the Law repeated by the Lord when questioned by the scribes. We hear it quite often, to the point that its force might have become lost on us. Our Lord didn’t simply say “Love the Lord more than anything”, but rather specified “heart, soul, mind and strength”. What does this mean?
 
Love the Lord with all your heart: Are all of my desires directed toward growing in holiness, virtue, perfection? What, deep down, is my reason for living - earthly goods or heavenly goods?
 
Love the Lord with all your soul: How well do I protect and nourish the life of grace in my soul? Am I even in the state of grace? How often do I think about having recourse to daily prayer and the sacraments to grow in the supernatural love of God?
 
Love the Lord with all your mind: With what is my mind occupied most of the time? How often do I set aside time for meditation? How often do I turn my mind to God throughout the workday? Do I take care to think about only those things that are noble, good, beautiful, and holy?
 
Love the Lord with all your strength: How much effort and energy do I  apply to my spiritual life? Do I save my energy for worldly pursuits and give God only the last bits of energy at the end of the day? Do I have the same ambition and zeal for becoming a saint as I do for advancing in position and wealth?
 
Let’s please consider these brief questions this weekend and see how well we are following the first of all the commandments.
 
In Christ, 
Fr Marotti