June 3, 2021 Thursday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time—B ST. CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-17; 8:4-9
Psalm 128
Mark 12:28-34
“…you shall love…” Mark 12:30, 31
Lord, your will for us is to love. That’s it! Nothing more, nothing less. Being a lover is our first and highest calling and priority. When we love we are fulfilling our destiny, our reason for being in the first place. To be honest, this is the most challenging of your commandments for me. When I accept the duty to love, all the remaining commandments are fulfilled too. It takes courage to love. It’s not easy to love all the time, all places, all ways and all people. It’s so much more natural to love you in the peaceful times and to love the people I like or choose to love. Lord, I need your power and grace to surrender to you in all circumstances. And I need you power and grace to respect the dignity of those I don’t like, forgive those who oppose me and to pray for my enemies and those who don’t love me. Help me today, Lord, to grow in the ways of love. Help me to be the lover you have created me to be. Thank you for hearing my prayer. St. Charles and companions pray for us. Amen.