As Christians we all know that we love God. We pray to God, we worship God, we serve God and we love God.
We know we are also called to love our neighbor. We are called to do both, love God and love our neighbor.
This morning homily was based on the gospel reading from Matthew 21: 28-32. The deacon discussed the fact that the chief priests where more interested in keeping the laws of the Lord then showing compassion for the people. They saw their first priority as loving God but Jesus teaches us to show compasion and love for our neighbors as well.
So which should we place first in our lives? My deacon stated it very simply
"We cannot love God without loving our neighbor"
We don't choose one or the other. If we are showing hate or cruelty to our neighbor we are not loving God. It is that simple.
This means that even when our neighbor is sinning or acting in a way that hurts God we must still love them. This is something that is very hard to do when we are trying to love God.
Dear Lord, Help me to love all my neighbors regardless of their actions or beliefs.
