As followers of Jesus Christ, it seems to me that we have a tendency to overcomplicate things—specifically, to overcomplicate what God asks of us. I am guilty of this. In today’s gospel, Christ tells us that the most important thing we can do as his followers is to love God and those around us. Properly received, this message is fairly clear, yet (as we know), it is easier said than done.

In my own life, during a particularly trying time, I finally reached the very end of my defiant self-sufficiency and cried out to God, saying, “I cannot do this another day separate and apart from you!” I not only recognized but also admitted the depth of my need for God, and that, to know, love, and serve him, I must dedicate myself to grow ever more intimate in my relationship with him.

This is a promise with a catch and a reward—it meant spending more quality time with Christ, his people, and with his Word. In so doing, I have been graced more and more with the knowledge of how greatly I am loved and valued by God and the degree to which God loves each and every one of us.

God and God alone fills and heals the empty parts of us. We are, in turn, empowered and
emboldened by the Holy Spirit to love God and people in the manner in which God would have us. Imagine the joy this brings to Jesus!