COLLECT SERIES
COLLECT
The Collect for the 30th Sunday of the Year
reads as follows:
Almighty ever-living God,
Increase our faith, hope and charity,
and make us love what You command,
So that we may merit what You promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
In making this prayer tangible
for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:
Take a stocktake of my faith,
hope and charity at this point in my life. Make a list of how these virtues
need to increase.
Do I have a full understanding
of these virtues of faith, hope and love. Read something about them to
understand further. You may wish to read
my Virtue series as a starting point.
Make a decision to pray for an
increase in faith, hope and charity each day as part of your morning prayer.
What does God command?
How will l love what God
commands this coming week? What step/s will I take?
Reflect on what God
promises? What do I need to change in me
(behaviour/attitude) to reflect God within me to the world. (my family, work
colleagues, parish family, stranger or someone in the supermarket).
GOSPEL REFLECTION Mt
22:34-40
Matthew 22:34–40
Theme: “The
Greatest Commandment”
Setting the Scene
After hearing Jesus answer the
Sadducees with wisdom, the Pharisees gather once more to test Him.
One of them, a scholar of the
Law, asks:
"Teacher, which
commandment in the Law is the greatest?"
The Jewish Law contained
hundreds of commandments governing every aspect of life. The question is
intended to challenge Jesus and perhaps draw Him into controversy.
Instead, Jesus answers with
remarkable simplicity and clarity.
He quotes the words of
Deuteronomy:
"You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."
He then adds a second
commandment from Leviticus:
"You shall love your
neighbour as yourself."
Jesus declares that these two
commandments are inseparable.
Upon them depend the whole Law
and the Prophets.
This Gospel reminds us that
the Christian life is ultimately centred on love—love of God expressed through
love of others.
Gospel Reflection: Love at the
Heart of the Gospel
Throughout His public
ministry, Jesus consistently reveals that love is at the centre of God's plan
for humanity.
The greatest commandment is
not merely about following rules.
It is about entering into a
loving relationship with God.
Jesus calls us to love God
with our whole being—our heart, our soul, and our mind. Every part of our lives
is invited into this relationship of love.
Yet Jesus does not stop there.
Love of God naturally
overflows into love of neighbour.
The two cannot be separated.
Whenever we show kindness,
forgiveness, compassion, generosity, and mercy towards another person, we are
living the very heart of the Gospel.
Love is not simply an emotion.
It is a daily decision to seek
the good of another, even when it requires sacrifice.
The more deeply we grow in
God's love, the more naturally His love flows through us into the lives of
others.
Personal Reflection
Jesus invites me to examine
what lies at the centre of my life.
Do I truly love God with my
whole heart?
Do I allow that love to shape
my relationships with others?
Sometimes loving my neighbour
is easy.
At other times it requires
patience, forgiveness, understanding, and generosity.
Jesus reminds me that every
act of love, however small, becomes an expression of my love for God.
Each day offers countless
opportunities to live the greatest commandment.
Whether through a kind word, a
listening ear, an act of service, or a moment of forgiveness, I am invited to
make God's love visible in the world.
Love is not simply something I
believe.
It is something I choose to
live.
Questions for Reflection
- What part of this Gospel speaks most
strongly to me today?
- How can I grow in my love for God each
day?
- In what ways am I being called to love my
neighbour more generously?
- Is there someone who needs my patience,
forgiveness, or compassion at this time?
- How does my daily life reflect the
greatest commandment?
- What practical act of love can I offer
someone this week?
- How is Jesus inviting me to place love at
the centre of everything I do?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You have shown me that love is
the heart of the Gospel.
Help me to love You
with all my heart, all my soul,
and all my mind.
Teach me to love others
with the same compassion,
mercy, and generosity
that You have shown me.
May my words, my actions,
and my daily choices
reflect Your love
to everyone I meet.
Fill my heart with Your Holy
Spirit,
so that I may grow each day
in love of God and love of neighbour.
May my life always bear
witness
to the greatest commandment.
Amen.
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