You shall love the Lord, your God and your neighbour as yourself.
From the Gospel according to Matthew Mt 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.”
The World of the Lord
He pushes me to love you.
We were created in God’s image, and everything about us is explained through Him. Even the commandments reflect this similarity: “The second is like the first.” In fact, it’s impossible to love God and not love your neighbor, and vice versa. And our closest neighbor is obviously our spouse. Anyone who says they love God but doesn’t love their spouse is lying. Loving God with all your heart, soul, and being is like loving your spouse as yourself. These are the two main commandments. I mustn’t forget them…
Applied for married life
Fred: I don’t get why you love God more than me.
Hannah: Because by loving God more, I can love you more.
Fred: I still don’t get it.
Hannah: God is freeing me from my attachments, my sins, making me freer to give more of myself to you. Remember when I was addicted to TV series? You used to complain that I wasn’t with you on Saturday afternoons. Well, God has shown me that it’s more important for us to spend Saturdays together. What do you think?
Fred: That makes sense.
Hannah: Exactly. He’s helping me let go of my selfishness, and He’s directing my desires toward our union… In fact, He’s pushing me to love you more.
Fred: Well… I’m starting to like the fact that you love God. I might need you to teach me how to love Him, too.
Hannah: Fred, you’re so good! I really love you!!!
Lord,
By welcoming my husband and my family, may I welcome You. By giving myself to them, may I give myself to You. By loving them, may I love You. Mother of spouses, pray for us. Amen.