I hope that I always strive to be a "man of my word." Sadly (to me anyway), at times I fail to follow through on something I promise, especially when I make that promise during a homily on the weekend. Such is the case when a few weeks ago, I promised to provide a copy of the "Act of Love." Here it is:
O my God,
I love you with all my heart and soul
because you are all good and deserving of all my love.
I love my neighbor as myself for love of you
I forgive all who have injured me and
ask pardon of all that I have injured.
Amen.
If you read this prayer a number of times, you can't help but think of the "Greatest Commandment" that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel (Matthew 22:35-40, Mark 12:28-34). If many of us were honest, we would have to admit even before saying this prayer that we fall, somewhat, or a great deal short in living out all that is uttered in these relatively few words. Saying "I love you, God" is only sincere when we are striving to follow his way every day. Keeping his commandments is in itself saying "I love you God."
Then there is the neighbor which includes those who live near me and those who live far from me, especially those who are in need regardless of their race, color or creed (see parable of the Good Samaritan-Lk 10:25-37). Then there is the challenge of forgiving those who have hurt us. Instead of asking myself "Do they deserve to be forgiven" before deciding to forgive, I need to call to mind how God is so ready to forgive us that he never asks first about any of us sinners "Does he or she deserve to be forgiven?" No, God forgives without hesitation and so calls on us to do the same toward others.
The last part of the prayer, may in fact be the hardest to do, especially when we do not know if the person we have offended is in a forgiving mood or mindset. Doing it anyway, with a contrite heart, is ALWAYS the thing to do regardless of whether the person is ready and/or willing to forgive us right now. Praying this prayer regularly (if not daily) may not always reflect where we truly are in all these areas, right now, but it does serve to remind us of where we need to strive to be and hopefully it leads us to ask for the grace, strength and commitment to be as the Lord wants us to be in relation to him and in relationship to others.
O my God,
I love you with all my heart and soul
because you are all good and deserving of all my love.
I love my neighbor as myself for love of you
I forgive all who have injured me and
ask pardon of all that I have injured.
Amen.
If you read this prayer a number of times, you can't help but think of the "Greatest Commandment" that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel (Matthew 22:35-40, Mark 12:28-34). If many of us were honest, we would have to admit even before saying this prayer that we fall, somewhat, or a great deal short in living out all that is uttered in these relatively few words. Saying "I love you, God" is only sincere when we are striving to follow his way every day. Keeping his commandments is in itself saying "I love you God."
Then there is the neighbor which includes those who live near me and those who live far from me, especially those who are in need regardless of their race, color or creed (see parable of the Good Samaritan-Lk 10:25-37). Then there is the challenge of forgiving those who have hurt us. Instead of asking myself "Do they deserve to be forgiven" before deciding to forgive, I need to call to mind how God is so ready to forgive us that he never asks first about any of us sinners "Does he or she deserve to be forgiven?" No, God forgives without hesitation and so calls on us to do the same toward others.
The last part of the prayer, may in fact be the hardest to do, especially when we do not know if the person we have offended is in a forgiving mood or mindset. Doing it anyway, with a contrite heart, is ALWAYS the thing to do regardless of whether the person is ready and/or willing to forgive us right now. Praying this prayer regularly (if not daily) may not always reflect where we truly are in all these areas, right now, but it does serve to remind us of where we need to strive to be and hopefully it leads us to ask for the grace, strength and commitment to be as the Lord wants us to be in relation to him and in relationship to others.