Wherever you go, I will go." Ru 1:16b
Today we commemorate St. Bernard, Doctor of the church and considered the founder of the Order of the Cistercians, he was consulted by Popes, Kings, and Princes. St. Bernard's magnetism and great love for others grew the order in his lifetime from one monastery to 343 at the time of his death. Today's readings both emphasize the love of neighbor. Our Lord answers the Pharisees, "You shall love the Lord, your God° is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Mt. 22:37b-39. And in the 1st reading, the Moabite Ruth's dedication to her mother-in-law Naomi despite both being widows shows the magnitude of deep love, "Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Where you die I will die, and there be buried." Ru 1:16b-17a. This reading holds a very special place in my heart as my fiancé and I came together on our wedding day becoming one, becoming friends for life while these verses were sung to a tune by the Monks of Westen Abbey (https://youtu.be/EcOxUjDy9us). "The clarity and care with which we have loved others will speak with vitality of the great gift of life we have been for each other." Our love of neighbor is only second to the love of God; but, oh how great it can be when we put aside differences and disagreements and look into the eye of an adversary to see our neighbor so greatly loved by our God, our Father.
Where is my love of neighbor this day?
Lord Jesus, open my mind, open my heart to see my neighbor's differences as a color or a texture that we can weave into a tapestry of love greater together than we could imagine apart. Amen.
Today's Reflection is by:
Alan Gauzens
Did you know...
Alan Gauzens is a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin. There, he is a lector and active in men's ministries including the Knights of Columbus, That Man Is You! and Tap Into Discipleship. A 2019 graduate of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute, Alan and his wife Joanne have been married for 40 years and are blessed with 4 children.
