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."
REFLECTION: "The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
Just last week we celebrated the optional Memorial of St. Katherine Drexel, and today St. Frances of Rome.
These two women came from very wealthy families. They could have enjoyed a life of luxury and relative free of discomforts. However, they saw the pleading of the poor and each used their material goods to aid those in need: Katherine the Native and African Americans, and Frances the poor and sick in the city of Rome.
Funny to think, last year, many of us had dreams and plans of travelling, spending on this or that, enjoying life... Then, quarantine.
It's been a year since we all have been isolated from each other in order to slow down the spread of covid.
What have I done during this year? What have I learned?
Many people have lost their health, their jobs, and many even their lives.
And from the comfort of our homes, have we tried to reach and help those whose lives have been dramatically changed?
In our community's food bank, we have seen a dramatic spike in the amount of people that are applying for help. The numbers surpassing any we've ever seen in the past.
There is also the problem of isolation. How many people are now cut off from the world, or simply set aside and forgotten?
The problem of unemployment has also caused donations to be less in our parishes. So the pastors have resorted to applying for loans to sustain the employees' salaries and the building maintenance.
Things are not easy for many of us. However, the United States is still a very rich country.
Even if we don't have an extra dime to spare right now, we can still do some volunteer work. Help in the maintenance or in the sanitation of the parish. Call or write to a family member, friend, or acquaintance that we haven't talked to in a long time. We can be creative about this. Ask the Holy Spirit, and He will be our guide.
Let us also pray to St. Frances to teach us generosity in whatever station in life we are at.
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