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A collection of homilies and liturgies from St Patrick Catholic Community in Scottsdale, Arizona. We are Christian disciples in mission.
Welcome to Saint Patrick Catholic Community Podcast. We're glad you're with us.
Fr. Sebastian:Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Good morning. In today's gospel's main message is love. Love, I try to make it better with my pronunciation. And when the third person singular comes, we have to r d s.
Fr. Sebastian:So it becomes a bit difficult, but I will try to make it better. So please be patient with me. Today's gospel presents us with one of the most challenging teachings of Jesus. He says, whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Fr. Sebastian:At first, these words may sound harsh. We might wonder, does Jesus wants us to love our families less? The answer is no. Jesus is not asking us to love our parents, spouses, children, or friends less. He is teaching us how to love them more deeply and more truly.
Fr. Sebastian:Every one of us knows the beauty of family love. A parent sacrifices for his children. Children are caring for aging parents. Husbands and wives support one another through joys and struggles. These loves are beautiful gifts from God.
Fr. Sebastian:But Jesus reminds us that even these precious relationships cannot take take the place of God. Why? Because God alone is the source of all love. He alone is the source of true happiness and eternal life. Imagine a lamp.
Fr. Sebastian:No matter how beautiful the lamp may be. It cannot shine without being connected to a to the electricity. In the same way, our love for others cannot reach its fullest beauty unless it is connected to God who is the source of love itself. When God is not first in our lives, our love can become possessive, selfish, or misguided. Sometimes parents love their children so much that they hesitate to correct them when they are doing wrong.
Fr. Sebastian:Sometimes, family members encourage one another to follow comfort rather than truth. Sometimes, we remain silent when our loved ones need guidance because we fear hurting them, their feelings. That may seem like love, but real love always seeks what is best for the other person. And what is best way, best for every person. Not wealth, not success, not popularity.
Fr. Sebastian:The greatest good for every person is a close relationship with God, and one day, eternal life with him in heaven. When we love God above all things, our relationships become stronger, not weaker. A husband loves his wife better. A wife loves her husband better. Parents love their children better.
Fr. Sebastian:Friends love one another better. Why? Because they begin to laugh with with God's own love. Instead of asking, what will make this person happy today? They begin to ask, what will bring this person closer to God and to eternal happiness?
Fr. Sebastian:This is the love Jesus wants wants us to have. A love that is not merely emotional. A love that is not based only on feelings. A love that seeks the highest good of another person. Think for a moment about the people closest to you.
Fr. Sebastian:Your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends. You love them deeply. That is good. But ask yourself honestly, do I love them in a way that leads them closer to God? Do my words, my example, and my prayers help them grow in faith?
Fr. Sebastian:Or how I sometimes allowed human affection to become more important than God's truth. The good news is that Jesus is not taking anything away from us. He is inviting us to something greater. The more we love God, the more capable we become of loving others with patience, mercy, compassion, and selflessness. The saints understood this well.
Fr. Sebastian:They loved God first, and because of that, they became great lovers of humanity. Their hearts were enlarged by God's grace. Today, let us ask the Lord for the gift of rightly ordered love. Let us place him at the center of our hearts, our homes, and our relationships. Let us love him above all things.
Fr. Sebastian:Not because he wants to compete with those we love, but because we want to bless and transform every relationship in our lives. When God come first, everyone else receives a greater love. May we see God as our highest good. Love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And through this grace, learn to love those around us with the very love of Christ.
Fr. Sebastian:Amen. I hope the love make you better.
Host:This has been a Saint Patrick Catholic Community podcast. For more of our shows, go to our website and click Saint Patrick's Studio.