The story is told about a dying husband who said to his wife: “When I die, I want you to marry Juan.” Surprised, the wife said: “I thought Juan was your enemy.” Whereupon, the husband said: “Yes, he is my enemy, and I want him to suffer, too.”
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In today’s Gospel (Mark 12, 28-34), Jesus tells us clearly that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbor. We ask ourselves today these questions: Am I loving God to the max? Am I loving others as myself? Am I living a grateful life to God? Am I hurting people as I journey through life?
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Loving God to the max means loving Him with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. We know this, but the sad reality is that we often love God not as much as we love ourselves. Mea culpa, mea culpa. Lord, forgive us for we often forget You, and take for granted Your love and presence in our lives. We do not listen to You enough and we even disobey and sin against You.
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Loving one’s neighbor means not hurting them, not making life more difficult for them. Life is difficult enough, so let us not add more to our neighbor’s struggles and problems. Forgive us Lord for the times we hurt other people, and we do not share enough of our time, talents, and treasures, especially to the poor and the suffering, because of our selfishness and pride.
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“Whatever, you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me,” (Matthew 25:40). The bottom line in the final accounting before God is the goodness we have done, and the love we have shared while we were still alive. Sad to say, the bottom line for some is just money. For those who die with money, nothing follows; for those who die with love, eternity follows.
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We just celebrated All Saints’ Day to remind us that we have a heart. Saints were those people who chose to love and sacrifice and give from the heart. They chose love over worldly wealth, power, and fame. They chose to be “fools” in the eyes of the world, but “blessed” in the eyes of God.
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All Souls’ Day reminds us that we have a soul. Life ends in death but our soul lives on. Our life on earth is temporary and fleeting. Our final destination is heaven. Eternity is waiting. Let us make the choice to do good, and to love while we are still alive.
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In the end, may we have little or no regrets that we loved God and people too little, too late because we loved ourselves too much. Let us all help fill the world with love, in any way we can, while we still can!
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Are you lucky in life? Are you blessed in life? The “lucky” person (“suwerte”) is one who credits his/her achievements to himself/herself, his/her hard work, wisdom, good breaks, or good connections. On the other hand, the “blessed” person is one who acknowledges God’s presence and love as the main factor of his/her success and blessings. The lucky person does not feel the need to be grateful to someone greater than himself/herself, nor does he/she feel the need to share his/her worldly blessings with others.
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You “lucky” persons out there, remember, you become a blessed person when you know how to be humble and grateful to God, and when you become a blessing to others, too. When God raises your standard of living, raise also your standard of giving.
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Think about this: What would be that one word, one adjective, that you would choose to be written on your tombstone? And what would people write about you in your tombstone to describe you? But most of all, what word will God use to describe you? He has the final word.
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Sharing with you my prayer in my sunset years: Lord, may I spend the rest of my life, the best of my life; may my exit from this world be kind; may my entry to eternity be light and bright. Amen.
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“People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another,” (Mother Teresa).
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, while I am still alive, let me help fill the world with love, in any simple way I can. Amen.
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