The love of God causes us to hate sin and do good. Mary Magdalen after her conversion, loved God fully. She hated sin so much that she never again committed any, although she had previously been a great sinner.

    The two great commandments that contain the whole law of God are: first, Thou shalt love the Lord they God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength; second, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

    Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us the two great commandments. Once a doctor of the law asked Jesus: "'Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?' Jesus said to him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord they God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself'" (Matthew 22: 36-39).

    The Love of God is the greatest commandment, because it includes all other commandments. If we truly love God, we will do nothing to offend Him. We would not commit sin, because sin is displeasing to Him. We would obey all the commandments. Not only that; if we truly love Him, we will do things which He does not require, but which we know will please Him.

    The two great commandments are inseparably united, so that one cannot be observed without the other. As Holy Scripture says, "If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, is a liar" (1 John 4:20).

    The greater our love of God, the more we shall love our fellowmen. And the more zealously we help our fellowmen for God's sake, the more perfectly we serve God. Our love of God can best be gauged by our love of neighbor.

    More specifically, the first great commandment embraces the first three of the Ten Commandments; the second great commandment embraces the last seven. The two great commandments affect and control all the powers of man: his will, his understanding, his emotions, and his actions. Would we not have a perfect world, needing no other laws, if all men obeyed these two commandments strictly? For this reason Our Lord said, On these two commandments depend the whole Law (cf. Matthew 22:40).

    We should love God because: He is infinitely good and perfect and worthy of love. "One there is Who is good, that is God" (Matthew 19:17).

    We can see the goodness and perfection of God all around us. If we meditate on His goodness, we shall never tire of loving Him. We love our parents and friends because they are good. Their goodness is nothing compared to the goodness of God.

    He loves us, and is always doing good to us. We only have to think of ourselves and our lives to find an innumerable number of favors He has granted us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that those who believe in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (John 3:16). "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee" (Jeremiah 3:13). "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights" (James 1:17).

    He wants and commands us to love Him. We are God's creatures. His slightest desires are law to us. How much more should we obey His solemn commands? Our Lord said very clearly: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with they whole mind, and with thy whole strength" (Mark 12:30).

Monday: The Great Commandments part two

July 7-9, 2000
volume 11, no. 118
APPRECIATION OF THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH series

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