The scripture readings today speak of the reward that comes with giving of ourselves to others; the reward is a foretaste of heaven, as we share in His life of joy, peace, love and true freedom. How can we purify the intentions of our giving today?

A Christian therefore lives from the future, which is already given to us in Christ’s death and resurrection. It is this future life that determines how he lives today. As Paul said, “whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him.” When we love the Lord and when we desire to be in full union with Him, we seek to please Him here and now by living the kind of life that He has taught us. Until we reach the end, our spiritual life will be a process whereby we cooperate with the grace of God.

What do we mean when we say that Mary’s heart is immaculate? When we say someone is immaculate we mean that someone is pure and impeccable in virtues and in holiness. Hence, being a sinner is to live less than an authentic human life. Mary’s immaculate heart shows us what an authentic life should be. She is the model of holiness and how we must live our life to find true happiness and peace. She was forgiving like her Son. Even with wicked and sinful people, her heart remained pure, forgiving and understanding. She just stood underneath the cross and wept. Can we imitate our Blessed Mother in our way of living?

If love is the heart of Christianity, it also means that our mission is essentially one of tender love, mercy and forgiveness as well. The work of evangelization is not about proselytism or getting new converts. Rather, it is to mediate the unconditional and unimaginable love of God for the world.  The message of the gospel is about love and mercy. It is also important that the proclamation of God’s love and mercy in words and deeds presupposes that we are captivated by the love and mercy of God. Can we contemplate on His love and mercy so that we can bring His love to others?

We who are made in the image and likeness of God should be reflecting His glory in our life. Yet we know that we have lost His likeness because of sin. Today’s gospel text deals with the first common sin in humanity: anger. When sown in our heart, anger can be expressed in contemptuous words and sarcasm. Anger does not only hurt our enemies and destroy them, it ultimately destroys our own selves. It is best that we settle our misunderstandings and hurts before they become unmanageable.

The Mosaic Law gave the principles of how each one was to conduct himself so that the community would live in peace, harmony and security. But whilst good, the law did not give one the power to fulfill them. Just because we know what is right and wrong, does not mean that we can do it. But the new covenant that Jesus came to bring is not based on the Law. It is a relationship of love between God and man. God does not seek to change us by using the laws but to heal our hearts and minds by His love and mercy. Not only do we know what the laws are, but we have the capacity that comes from the love of God in us to obey the law. Truly, the motivation for love must come from the fact of God’s love in us. Without Him loving us, we cannot love truly. Our love for God and of our neighbours must not be given out of obligation but out of gratitude for the love that we have received from Him.

The common thread in today's scripture readings is the shedding of blood, as a sacrificial offering. The difference is that the sacrifice of Christ is a perfect one for our salvation. Why? Because Christ was not just the priest but an unblemished victim of the sacrifice. Furthermore, His sacrifice was voluntary and given for humanity purely out of love for us. So great and efficacious was His sacrifice, that the Church continues to make the effects of it known through the celebration of the Eucharist, that we may be in Communion with Him.

In today’s gospel, Jesus gave us all a model, an exemplar of what it means to love God through the widow who gave form the little that she had. In giving whatever little she had, she showed her deep faith in God and her undivided and loyal love for Him. Her giving was not to replace faith. Indeed, good works cannot substitute faith. Rather, her giving of everything she had to the Temple treasury was an expression of her faith in God that He would provide. Otherwise, she would have kept the coins for her own upkeep and food. She knew that everything came from God and therefore everything belonged to Him. If we truly love God, then can we make our almsgiving the sign of that love?

Our perception of God is often limited by our world view, presuppositions and lack of faith in His wisdom. We tend to reduce God to our level and make Him think the way we do. Isaiah wrote, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8f) Indeed, only God sees everything. Today's scripture readings invite us to be courageous. Like Tobit and Sarah, may we persevere in faith and see things the way God sees.

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus ingeniously enlightened the scribe on what was most fundamental in the law.  If there was only one word, it is love. St Paul and St Augustine said similar things, that love is the fulfillment of the law. That said, the commandment to love God with our entire being must be expressed in our love for our neighbours. What implications does it have for us Christians in our relationship with non-Christians, people of other faiths and even atheists and agnostics? St Augustine sums up so aptly when he wrote, “Let us not ask how much love we ought to spend upon our brother and how much upon God: incomparably more upon God than upon ourselves, but upon our brother as much as upon ourselves; and we love ourselves more, the more we love God. Therefore we love God and our neighbour from one and the same love; but we love God for his own sake, and ourselves and our neighbors for the sake of God.”