Unconditional Love

Matthew 22, 34-40

30th Sunday In Ordinary Time

October 26, 2008

for: 9 am mass at St. Anne's Chapel at Raymond's and 6:30 pm Spanish Mass at St. Joachim's Madera, CA

note: partly inspired by Fr. Gerry Orbos, SVD homily column in the PDI

A scene from a marriage counseling session with a Priest.

Priest: So, may I know your names and where do you live.

Husband: Yes Father, this is my wife Lupita and she is my Calvary.

Wife: Yes Father, this is my husband Joe and he is my Purgatory.

Husband and Wife: And we live in hell, you know "go to hell" "what the hell is that?"

In today's Gospel, Jesus sums up all the commandments into two: Love of God and Love of neighbor.  With Love we can overcome all our calvaries and purgatories and we can get out of hell.

Two Points:

1. THEY SAY MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND, NOT TRUE, IT IS LOVE THAT MAKES THE WORLD GOES AROUND.

According to a latest research there are three things inside our head, three things that we think always, three things that make our world goes around.  Money, money, money.

Money is very superficial; the happiness that we will get from money in a blink of an eye disappears.  We may have all the latest gadgets in the world, the hottest car, the coziest home, the coolest cell phone and everything but just after a few months they are not hot, cozy and cool anymore.  Love makes the world goes around, maybe not as fast as the way money makes it, but slowly and surely.  Love is eternal.

We like people with lots of money, but the moment they loose their money, we don't love them anymore.  Our catholic values and virtues tells us that we value more people who are willing to sacrifice for others, people who are willing to go the extra mile, people who stand up for what they believe is true, people who continues to do what is noble and right while the rest are doing the opposite, people who are willing to stand up and will guard the sanctity of marriage that come election time will vote Yes on Proposition 8.

These are the kinds of people who are willing to love and to make their world goes around happy and contented, slowly but surely.  The world is not a hopeless situation after all.

People who are still willing to love are everywhere, and we are all here every Sunday, some of us everyday, telling the Lord we love Him more than anyone else.  When money dwindles, we panic.  All the more if love dwindles.  90% who jumped at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco committed suicide not because they don't have money but because they don't feel loved.

2. WHAT IS THE GREATEST EXPRESSION OF LOVE

Mother Theresa once said: "It's not what you do in life, but how much love you put into it that matters."

We can be the greatest person in the world in terms of power, possession and position but if we don't put love into the equation everything will be futile.  Power without responsibility, Possession without Christian Stewardship and Position without Accountability will be of service to oneself and not for the greater glory and greater love of God and neighbor.

Most of the time we love because we expect something in return and this is human nature. The Law of Reciprocity. Giving without getting anything in return is vague for us.  Every time we love, we expect love in return.  Yes, this is true because the culture we are living in right now promotes radical individualism.  We are told to think of ourselves first, and to act always in our own best interest.  Jesus' challenge of loving God and loving our neighbor contradicts radical individualism.  Yes we need to love ourselves, but it must not end in that situation.  The calling is loud and clear that we also need to love our neighbors like we love ourselves.

Jesus showed us the true meaning of loving when he died on the cross for our sins and for our salvation.  The ultimate expression of Unconditional Love.

So the question is, what is the greatest expression of Love?  Jesus Christ dying on the cross, his unconditional love for the Father and the Father's unconditional Love for us.

Let me end this sharing on a personal note.

A friend of mine a couple of years ago found out that the baby she was carrying in her womb is not normal.  The doctor suggested many things for the baby including abortion. My friend asks me what to do?

If you will be asked my dear brothers and sisters what will you say?

I told her, love is all about sacrifice, love is all about giving life and love is all unconditional no matter what.  She kept the baby.

May this Sunday and the rest of our days be an assurance that as God loves us unconditionally we will also love him unconditionally and our neighbors as well.

Dios te bendiga!