Reading 1
Ez 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.”
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD:
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
“Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Gospel
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.”
Meditation: Matthew 22:34-40
“Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:36)
How easy to grasp—do not commit adultery; do not lie, cheat, steal, covet, or kill. Got it. Check it off. Now rate it. Is it worse to steal than to covet? Is it better to commit adultery than murder? Which is the least offensive sin, and which is the most offensive?
We like to simplify, codify, and try hard to obey. But God has a different way of looking at things: He looks at the heart. Greater than what we do—or keep from doing—is love. Jesus spelled it out for the Pharisees, and us too. Love God. Love others. “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40).
Love—a love spilling out of a heart filled to the brim with God’s own love—is the greatest command that we are to “obey.” Love each other intensely, St. Peter advised the Christians in Asia Minor, because love covers a multitude of sins!?(1 Peter 4:8). Yes, sin happens. But love enables us to bear all things, hope all things, and endure all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). It joins all the other virtues together in perfect unity and goes far beyond (Colossians 3:13-14)!
At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This is not a statement meant to coerce us into obedience. It is a promise! If you love me—if my love fills your heart and if you rest in my love—you will obey. Such is the power of God’s love in us! It is strong enough to influence our thoughts and actions over and above our human passions and desires. Its effect on our lives is massive, so much so that sin diminishes and acts of service and compassion increase.
Allowing God’s love to fill and influence you is a pleasanter, easier way to obey than relying solely on human determination. So ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh outpouring of this love today. Don’t be shy; it’s something he loves to do! Let his love overcome strongholds of fear, lust, jealousy, and self-centeredness so that you can know his strength and comfort.
“Holy Spirit, fill me with the Father’s love today. Pour it into my heart, so that I can know the joy and freedom of obedience
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