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Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
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Gospel text (Mt 22:34-40): When the Pharisees... 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..."

Adoration is the power that moves everything

EDITORIAL TEAM evangeli.net (based on texts by Benedict XVI) (Città del Vaticano, Vatican)

Today, Christ speaks of the first and main reason for our existence (a question transformed into a "commandment" for every man): to worship and adore God with all our being (heart, soul and mind). Love must always be unconditional (without-condition), but only God deserves an unconditional love, "unquestionably": nothing should come in between our service to God.

Such "subjugation" to God is not detrimental to the creature, because it means something so loving as kissing Him ("ad-orem" = to the mouth). It is distinctive of lovers; it is our vocation. Creation —immeasurable and beautiful— is shaped in such a way that invites us to this adoration. It is the power that moves and orders everything from within, in the rhythm in the stars and in our lives. The rhythm of our life only throbs properly if imbued with this power.

—O Lord-God, while kneeling, I acknowledge and recognize You: man is never more man than when —by kneeling— he surrenders to You and prays.