How do I Love Me?

How do I Love Me?
A Lenten Minute Reflection for Friday, March 13, 2015  

by Dcn Bob Bonomi

Jesus points out today that the two greatest commandments are to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" and to "Love your neighbor as yourself".

In this mixed-up world we live in today it can be difficult to understand what is meant by "love".  Too often we equate it with the passing emotional state or physical desire that passes between two individuals, but love is much more than that.  True love desires only the best for another; to sacrifice for another; to put the well-being of another first, for all eternity.  TRUE LOVE is what God has for each of us.

So, if we reverse the order of these commandments, we see that we must first know how to love ourselves - not with a narcissistic affection which puts ourselves as the center of focus, but recognizing our own intrinsic value because we are a reflection of God and that God is in us.  When we accept that we are lovable because God made us and is in us, we can then understand that in order to love ourselves we need to recognize that our neighbor is also a reflection of God; that in looking into the face of our neighbor we should not only see God but see ourselves.  Finally, if we can understand that we - you and I - are reflections and images of God, then we can understand why the greatest command is to love God with all our heart, our soul, our mind, our strength.  For in truly loving God, we cannot help but love our neighbor - and ourselves.