When I was a student in college, I’d occasionally have “take home” – or written – exams.
As soon as the professor shared the questions for the exam, I’d rush to the library to be the first to check out all of the necessary books.
Sometimes it felt like I was carrying ten – even a dozen – books in my arms and book bag as I hurried back to my room.
But the weight of those books didn’t bother me at all; it was minimal compared to the reward they offered. Without them, I simply couldn’t complete my exams.
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In a similar way, God has given us 10 commandments, or rules, on how to live our lives.
But Jesus takes these commandments and compresses them into a single word: LOVE.
Love your God…love your neighbor…. even, love yourself.
As Saint John says in our first reading, “In this way, we know that we are children of God, when…we obey his commandments.”
Like a carrying a set of books home to take an exam, the reward for spending our lives loving our God and our neighbor as our self is always greater than the effort it takes.