It's June, one of the biggest wedding months of the year, and the readings for today are often favorite wedding homily texts.  They encourage us to form loving partnerships and relationships with others for noble purposes, such that the will and work of the Lord may prosper.  This is true for friendships, as well as marriages, and parents and other adults should model these purposes for our children.  With so much at stake in terms of our happiness, we are given specific instructions on what guides those purposes.  Jesus says it clearly in the Gospel today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  This multidimensional love triangle not only brings the Kingdom of God nearer, God-centered love brings personal fulfillment and happiness.  Jesus tells us that if we can get these straightforward concepts, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” 

It takes most of us, however, a long time to realize that the heavenly bliss we often feel from romantic love is not so heavenly after all.  Experiencing the Kingdom of God in relationships brings a much higher level of fulfillment than romantic love, often based on lust.  It takes greater commitments than just those recited in most marriage vows.  It involves holding oneself to much higher standards of love at many more levels, including a more enlightened love of self.   Enlightened self-love takes time to understand and to put into practice.   If done well, we develop it in God centered relationships with others.   It is my prayer today that all those who are getting married and those of us who are celebrating with them will make the commitment to grow in the kind of love Jesus tells us today is what will bring us and those around us closer to each other and to God.  Weddings are wonderful times to learn more about God’s love for all of us and how we can share it for noble purposes.  Enjoy the love fests!!!

Barbara wrote this reflection in 2021.