If I asked you today, “Do you love God?” I suppose most of us would answer, “Yes, of course.”
But perhaps Jesus would ask us another question: “Can anybody feel that love?”
Because in today’s Gospel, Jesus joins two commandments together: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.
In other words, love of God must become visible in love of people.
And how should we express that love during these times?
Love must see
In our first reading, God speaks about the stranger, the widow, the orphan, and the poor. These were people who could easily be forgotten.
Today, who are the people we sometimes fail to see?
The family struggling because prices keep rising.
The farmer worried about drought.
The worker whose salary can hardly support the family.
The elderly person living alone.
The young person silently struggling with problems nobody knows about.
Sometimes we are looking at our phones so much that we no longer see the person beside us.
Love begins when we notice.
Love must cost
It is easy to love when love costs nothing.
We say we love the poor—but are we willing to share?
We say we love creation—but are we willing to waste less, conserve water, and change some of our habits?
We say we love our country—but will we reject corruption even when we benefit from it?
And perhaps most difficult today: Can I love someone who disagrees with me politically?
We can disagree without insulting.
We can have different candidates without becoming enemies.
We can defend what we believe without destroying another person’s dignity.
Because before we are DDS, Kakampink, Marcos, Duterte, administration or opposition—we are brothers and sisters.
Our politics should never be stronger than our Christianity.
Love must spread
Saint Paul praises the Thessalonians because they became “a model for all believers.”
Their faith was contagious.
Imagine if every Catholic decided:
Because I love God, I will not spread hatred.
Because I love God, I will not participate in corruption.
Because I love God, I will care for creation.
Because I love God, I will notice someone who is suffering.
Because I love God, I will become an instrument of unity rather than division.
Something would begin to change.
Let us see God in one another
There is a story of a little girl who asked her mother:
“Mama, if God is invisible, how can people see Him?”
Her mother answered:
“Maybe that is why God gave us one another.”
Final Words
My dear brothers and sisters, perhaps that is our mission today.
When people encounter us, may they encounter something of God.
In a divided world, let them experience our peace.
In a selfish world, our generosity.
In a harsh world, our kindness.
And in a world with so much suffering, our compassion.
Because ultimately, the question is not simply, “Do I love God?”
The better question is: “Can someone feel God’s love because of me?”