{"id":15216,"date":"2018-03-09T08:56:22","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T13:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/?p=15216"},"modified":"2018-03-16T09:54:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T13:54:27","slug":"the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift to Obey God&#8217;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fr. Roger J. Landry<br \/>\nSacred Heart Convent of the Sisters of Life, Manhattan<br \/>\nFriday of the Third Week of Lent<br \/>\nMemorial of St. Frances of Rome<br \/>\nMarch 9, 2018<br \/>\nHos 14:2-10, Ps 81, Mk 12:28-34<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-15216-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3.9.18-Homily-1.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3.9.18-Homily-1.mp3\">https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3.9.18-Homily-1.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>The following points were considered:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, God made a special appeal to each of us through the Prophet Joel: \u201cReturn to me with your whole heart.\u201d He asked us to \u201crend our hearts,\u201d to rip them open to receive his mercy and to share his compassion with others, a summons\u00a0that is particularly relevant for us as we begin tonight \u201c24 Hours for the Lord\u201d in union with Pope Francis and the whole Church.\u00a0God\u2019s merciful love can influence the way we read today\u2019s Gospel for the first day of the second half of Lent (today is the 21st of 40 days of Lent, or, if you&#8217;re counting the Sundays, the 24th of 46 days). It&#8217;s also important in this second phase of Lent, from the 3rd Sunday through the end of the 4th week when we ponder the meaning of baptism, that we read today&#8217;s reading in a baptismal key, for this is one of the most commonly chosen readings for the celebration of baptism, since it shows us what the purpose of a Christian life is and how we can keep our end of the baptismal Covenant with the Lord. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus\u00a0responds, \u201cThe first is this:\u00a0<em>Hear, O Israel!\u00a0The Lord our God is Lord alone!\u00a0You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, \u00a0with all your soul, \u00a0with all your mind, \u00a0and with all your strength<\/em>.\u00a0The second is this:\u00a0<em>You shall love your neighbor as yourself<\/em>.\u00a0There is no other commandment greater than these.\u201d Today Jesus\u00a0reminds us that the whole point of the Lenten season, the whole point of the Christian life to which Lent is meant to restore us, is to return with our whole heart in love to God, and not just our heart, but to return to him with our whole soul, mind and strength as well, to receive his mercy without any obstacles and then to learn how to let that mercy we\u2019ve received become the way which we respond to others.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s important that we truly confront what Jesus is asking of us. There are many Christians who believe they love the Lord simply because they have good thoughts about God, they admire him, they think that he\u2019s kind, merciful and generous. But Jesus is calling for much more than this. Love is more than having good feelings or impressions about another; love is the unconquerable benevolence that leads to willing, to choosing consistently, the good of the other for the other\u2019s sake. Love is opting\u00a0as a habit to sacrifice oneself for another, putting someone else ahead of us, like Jesus would say during the Last Supper and put into action the following afternoon: laying down one\u2019s life for one\u2019s friends, in little ways or supremely.\u00a0There are many\u00a0Christians who love God to the point of sacrificing for him, but as today\u2019s Gospel shows us, it\u2019s not enough to sacrifice\u00a0<em>some<\/em>\u00a0of the time, financial resources and talents that he\u2019s given us\u00a0for him and his\u00a0glory. It\u2019s not enough to\u00a0give God\u00a0some of their mind, heart, soul and strength. Jesus is calling us to love God with all we\u2019ve got. Today he says that that\u2019s worth more than all sacrifices. To get to that type of love\u00a0requires a deep conversion on our part. It means that our hope is not just to be good people but to be really holy people.<\/li>\n<li>We should make this practical.\n<ul>\n<li>Jesus calls us to love him\u00a0<em>with all our mind<\/em>. How much of our mind do we dedicate to God? Do we try to think as God thinks in our decisions? Do we truly fill our minds with his thoughts through prayer and reading the Bible and good spiritual books or do we fill them with the world\u2019s thoughts through reading the paper more than the Bible and surfing the internet or watching\u00a0television more than we pray?<\/li>\n<li>Jesus likewise calls us to love him\u00a0<em>with all our heart<\/em>. Do we really love God more than we love everything and everyone else in our life? Jesus\u00a0says elsewhere in the Gospel that we\u2019re not fit to be his disciple unless we love him more than our family members, more than our stuff, more than even our own life. This is obviously challenging but do we try to love him with all our heart?<\/li>\n<li>He calls us to love him\u00a0<em>with all our strength<\/em>. How much effort do we make to love him? Do we battle through distractions in prayer? Do we prioritize Mass and adoration and really strive to pay attention?<\/li>\n<li>He calls us to love him with\u00a0<em>all our soul.\u00a0<\/em>That means he wants us full of grace. Do we seek to stay free of all sin or do we compromise with sin and give in to gossip, complaining, holding grudges and the like? Do we take advantage of the opportunities for the Sacrament of Confession so that whatever in our soul is not of God can be forgiven? Do we have plans to receive his mercy on this day of the 24 Hours for the Lord, when Pope Francis has essentially opened up a world-wide confessional?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>In the Gospel today, however, Jesus goes a step further that that challenge. He tells us that our love for God will be shown in our love for neighbor. Jesus elsewhere does\u00a0say not \u201cLove me as I love you,\u201d but \u201cLove one another as I have loved you.\u201d When he asked St. Peter after the Resurrection, \u201cSimon, son of John, do you love me?\u201d and Peter replied that he did, Jesus didn\u2019t say, \u201cGreat! That\u2019s all I wanted!\u201d Rather he said, \u201cFeed my sheep. \u2026 Feed my lambs. \u2026 Tend my sheep.\u201d Peter\u2019s love for Jesus, just like ours, would be shown in our love for others. That means today that Jesus is calling us to love our neighbor, to love the other people in this chapel, to love our family members, to love strangers and even enemies with all our heart, all our mind, all our souls and all our strength. We begin by seeking to love others with our minds and think good things about them, noticing their good points rather than their weaknesses, giving them the benefit of the doubt rather than thinking the worst. We love them with our heart, which means with affection, including those who are difficult to love, and making the effort to care for the wounds of their heart. We love them with our strength, including when it requires summoning the strength to forgive them and making the effort to help them with deeds. And we love them with our soul, caring in a special way for their souls as well, that they be full of God.<\/li>\n<li>To paraphrase the end of the passage of the Prophet Hosea in today\u2019s first reading, this is the \u201cstraight path\u201d that the Lord wants us to take. This is the path that\u00a0those who are \u201cjust,\u201d who are in a right relationship with God, take. As demanding as the path is, the Lord calls us to it because he knows that this is the path of happiness. Someone who is loving the Lord with all he has and loving neighbor is the one who is really filled with joy and peace and Jesus wants us to have that joy. St. Therese Lisieux once famously said that we cannot become half a saint. That there\u2019s no way to become holy and eternally happy giving God fifty percent. We need to give him everything. That\u2019s the type of restoration that Lent seeks to bring about in us.<\/li>\n<li>But we need to ask: How can we actually love God and others with everything we are and have? Is God calling us to something impossible? Is it even possible to\u00a0<em>command<\/em>\u00a0us to love; can love be forced? The answer to these questions was given to us in the Opening Prayer of today\u2019s Mass when we turned to God and said, \u201cPour your grace into our hearts, we pray, O Lord, that we may \u2026 obey\u00a0<em>by your own gift\u00a0<\/em>the heavenly teaching you give us.\u201d God gives us his own love \u2014 his very self \u2014 \u00a0to make this type of love possible. Pope Benedict spoke about this in his beautiful encyclical\u00a0<em>Deus Caritas Est,\u00a0<\/em>the twelfth\u00a0anniversary of whose publication the Church celebrated last week with a conference in the Vatican. He wrote, \u201cThe \u2018commandment\u2019 of love is only possible because it is more than a requirement. Love can be \u2018commanded\u2019 because it has first been given. \u2026 on the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter that\u00a0has become a communion of will, even affecting my feelings. Then I learn to look on this other person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ. His friend is my friend. \u2026\u00a0Only my readiness to encounter my neighbour and to show him love makes me sensitive to God as well. Only if I serve my neighbour can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much he loves me. The saints\u2014consider the example of [Saint] Teresa of Calcutta\u2014constantly renewed their capacity for love of neighbour from their encounter with the Eucharistic Lord, and conversely this encounter acquired its realism and depth in their service to others. Love of God and love of neighbour are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment. But both live from the love of God who has loved us first. No longer is it a question, then, of a \u2018commandment\u2019 imposed from without and calling for the impossible, but rather of a freely-bestowed experience of love from within, a love which by its very nature must then be shared with others. Love grows through love.\u201d When we understand God&#8217;s love \u2014 his\u00a0<i>hesed,\u00a0<\/i>a word that can be translated \u201cmercy,\u201d \u201clove\u201d and \u201cgoodness\u201d \u2014 we can also see how it is possible, for when we love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength, what that means fundamentally is that we have opened ourselves up to his mercy, to who he is and what he wants to do for us and in us, and that is to make us holy as he is holy, perfect as he is perfect, merciful as he is merciful. He wants us to open our mind to his mercy, our heart to his mercy, our soul to be forgiven by his mercy, and our strength to persevere in seeking and receiving that mercy. And then he wants us to love our neighbor not just by imitating God\u2019s mercy, but by loving our neighbor precisely with God\u2019s mercy. That\u2019s what Jesus calls us to do this year, because he desires mercy, not sacrifice!<\/li>\n<li>Today the Church celebrates the feast of a 15th century saint who followed the &#8220;straight path&#8221; of the two-fold command of love and whose whole life became a commentary on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. St. Frances of Rome wanted to become a religious sister as a young girl but her noble parents wanted her to marry, and she eventually consented. She was betrothed to a good man and soon after marriage, discovering that her sister-in-law was in the same situation, resolved with her to use their position and their means to care for the poor like a loving mom for needy children. They cared for the sick. They opened up their home to feed the poor. They ministered to victims of the plague. They even sold their jewels in order to provide what was necessary. She eventually founded an association of lay women to do this work. They attached themselves to the Benedictines as Oblates. After her husband died, she moved in with them and became their superior. Throughout her life she allowed God to fill her with his love and then she obeyed what he commanded. One of the most beautiful things about her life was the unity of life and love she radiated. When she was praying in the chapel, if she received word that her husband, her children, or the poor needed her, she would immediately leave Christ in the\u00a0tabernacle to care for Christ in the needy. One holy hour she was interrupted five times. Returning after the last interruption, she noticed that the words of the Bible on which she was meditating had turned to gold. She had been living the words she had been reading.<\/li>\n<li>The great way she grew in the love of God and we will too, so that we may love God with all we are and have and love our neighbor with all we are and have is through the Mass. Here at Mass God\u00a0\u201cpour[s] [his]\u00a0grace into our hearts, \u2026 that we may \u2026 obey\u00a0<em>by [his]\u00a0own gift\u00a0<\/em>the heavenly teaching\u201d he gives us. God the Father\u00a0gives us his mercy, he gives us his help, he plants within us Jesus, the Incarnate Love of the Father, so that we may, receiving the Father\u2019s love, incarnate in Jesus, love the Father in communion with Jesus\u00a0and love others with the very love of Jesus. Today let\u2019s ask Jesus to help us to pray this Mass with all our mind, heart, soul and strength and to be strengthened by Jesus in the Mass to \u201cdo this in memory of\u201d him, giving our bodies, our blood, our sweat, our tears, our mind, heart, soul and strength in mercy for the good of others as Jesus has given all he had for us and our salvation. Praised be Jesus Christ!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The<em>\u00a0readings for today\u2019s Mass were:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<h4>Reading 1<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/hosea\/14:2\">HOS 14:2-10<\/a><\/h4>\n<div>Thus says the LORD:<br \/>\nReturn, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;<br \/>\nyou have collapsed through your guilt.<br \/>\nTake with you words,<br \/>\nand return to the LORD;<br \/>\nSay to him, \u201cForgive all iniquity,<br \/>\nand receive what is good, that we may render<br \/>\nas offerings the bullocks from our stalls.<br \/>\nAssyria will not save us,<br \/>\nnor shall we have horses to mount;<br \/>\nWe shall say no more, \u2018Our god,\u2019<br \/>\nto the work of our hands;<br \/>\nfor in you the orphan finds compassion.\u201d<\/div>\n<div>I will heal their defection, says the LORD,<br \/>\nI will love them freely;<br \/>\nfor my wrath is turned away from them.<br \/>\nI will be like the dew for Israel:<br \/>\nhe shall blossom like the lily;<br \/>\nHe shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,<br \/>\nand put forth his shoots.<br \/>\nHis splendor shall be like the olive tree<br \/>\nand his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.<br \/>\nAgain they shall dwell in his shade<br \/>\nand raise grain;<br \/>\nThey shall blossom like the vine,<br \/>\nand his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.<\/div>\n<div>Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?<br \/>\nI have humbled him, but I will prosper him.<br \/>\n\u201cI am like a verdant cypress tree\u201d\u2013<br \/>\nBecause of me you bear fruit!<\/div>\n<div>Let him who is wise understand these things;<br \/>\nlet him who is prudent know them.<br \/>\nStraight are the paths of the LORD,<br \/>\nin them the just walk,<br \/>\nbut sinners stumble in them.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h4>Responsorial Psalm<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/psalms\/81:6\">PS 81:6C-8A, 8BC-9, 10-11AB, 14 AND 17<\/a><\/h4>\n<div>R. (see 11 and 9a)\u00a0I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.<br \/>\nAn unfamiliar speech I hear:<br \/>\n\u201cI relieved his shoulder of the burden;<br \/>\nhis hands were freed from the basket.<br \/>\nIn distress you called, and I rescued you.\u201d<br \/>\nR.\u00a0I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.<br \/>\n\u201cUnseen, I answered you in thunder;<br \/>\nI tested you at the waters of Meribah.<br \/>\nHear, my people, and I will admonish you;<br \/>\nO Israel, will you not hear me?\u201d<br \/>\nR.\u00a0I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.<br \/>\n\u201cThere shall be no strange god among you<br \/>\nnor shall you worship any alien god.<br \/>\nI, the LORD, am your God<br \/>\nwho led you forth from the land of Egypt.\u201d<br \/>\nR.\u00a0I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.<br \/>\n\u201cIf only my people would hear me,<br \/>\nand Israel walk in my ways,<br \/>\nI would feed them with the best of wheat,<br \/>\nand with honey from the rock I would fill them.\u201d<br \/>\nR.\u00a0I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h4>Gospel<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12:28\">MK 12:28-34<\/a><\/h4>\n<div>One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,<br \/>\n\u201cWhich is the first of all the commandments?\u201d<br \/>\nJesus replied, \u201cThe first is this:<br \/>\n<em>Hear, O Israel!<br \/>\nThe Lord our God is Lord alone!<br \/>\nYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,<br \/>\nwith all your soul,<br \/>\nwith all your mind,<br \/>\nand with all your strength<\/em>.<br \/>\nThe second is this:<br \/>\n<em>You shall love your neighbor as yourself<\/em>.<br \/>\nThere is no other commandment greater than these.\u201d<br \/>\nThe scribe said to him, \u201cWell said, teacher.<br \/>\nYou are right in saying,<br \/>\n<em>He is One and there is no other than he<\/em>.<br \/>\nAnd\u00a0<em>to love him with all your heart,<br \/>\nwith all your understanding,<br \/>\nwith all your strength,<br \/>\nand to love your neighbor as yourself<\/em><br \/>\nis worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.\u201d<br \/>\nAnd when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,<br \/>\nhe said to him,<br \/>\n\u201cYou are not far from the Kingdom of God.\u201d<br \/>\nAnd no one dared to ask him any more questions.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15217\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?resize=195%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?w=220&amp;ssl=1 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fr. Roger J. Landry Sacred Heart Convent of the Sisters of Life, Manhattan Friday of the Third Week of Lent Memorial of St. Frances of Rome March 9, 2018 Hos 14:2-10, Ps 81, Mk 12:28-34 &nbsp; To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below:\u00a0 &nbsp; The following points were considered:\u00a0 On [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10723,1063,3,4],"tags":[445,2059,5201,5199,2254,5205,2194,5194,316,5197,5203,5204,2727,5196,5198,1757,979,2173,4893,5195,5200,9413,2549,5202,2105],"class_list":["post-15216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2017-2018-year-ii","category-audio-homily","category-homily","category-year-ii","tag-ash-wednesday","tag-confession","tag-distractions-in-prayer","tag-do-this-in-memory-of-me","tag-forgiveness","tag-giving-all","tag-gossip","tag-hos-142-10","tag-lent","tag-loving-enemies","tag-loving-jesus-more-than-family-members","tag-loving-jesus-more-than-our-life","tag-loving-others","tag-loving-the-lord","tag-loving-with-affection","tag-mercy","tag-mk-1228-34","tag-ps-81","tag-rending-our-hearts","tag-returning-to-the-lord-with-our-whole-heart","tag-simon-son-of-john","tag-st-frances-of-rome","tag-st-therese","tag-state-of-grace","tag-the-eucharist"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Gift to Obey God&#039;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018 - Catholic Preaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Gift to Obey God&#039;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018 - Catholic Preaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fr. Roger J. Landry Sacred Heart Convent of the Sisters of Life, Manhattan Friday of the Third Week of Lent Memorial of St. Frances of Rome March 9, 2018 Hos 14:2-10, Ps 81, Mk 12:28-34 &nbsp; To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below:\u00a0 &nbsp; The following points were considered:\u00a0 On [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic Preaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-09T13:56:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-16T13:54:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms-195x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fr. Roger Landry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fr. Roger Landry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fr. Roger Landry\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827\"},\"headline\":\"The Gift to Obey God&#8217;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-09T13:56:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-16T13:54:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2969,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms-195x300.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ash Wednesday\",\"Confession\",\"Distractions in Prayer\",\"Do this in memory of me\",\"Forgiveness\",\"Giving All\",\"Gossip\",\"Hos 14:2-10\",\"Lent\",\"Loving Enemies\",\"Loving Jesus more than Family Members\",\"Loving Jesus more than our life\",\"Loving Others\",\"Loving the Lord\",\"Loving with Affection\",\"Mercy\",\"Mk 12:28-34\",\"Ps 81\",\"Rending our Hearts\",\"Returning to the Lord with our Whole Heart\",\"Simon Son of John\",\"St. Frances of Rome\",\"St. Therese\",\"State of Grace\",\"The Eucharist\"],\"articleSection\":[\"2017-2018\",\"Audio Homily\",\"Homily\",\"Year II\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Gift to Obey God's Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018 - Catholic Preaching\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms-195x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-09T13:56:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-16T13:54:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?fit=220%2C338&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?fit=220%2C338&ssl=1\",\"width\":220,\"height\":338},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Gift to Obey God&#8217;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic Preaching\",\"description\":\"Msgr. Roger J. Landry, Diocese of Fall River\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827\",\"name\":\"Fr. Roger Landry\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fr. Roger Landry\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/author\\\/fr-roger-landry\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Gift to Obey God's Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018 - Catholic Preaching","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Gift to Obey God's Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018 - Catholic Preaching","og_description":"Fr. Roger J. Landry Sacred Heart Convent of the Sisters of Life, Manhattan Friday of the Third Week of Lent Memorial of St. Frances of Rome March 9, 2018 Hos 14:2-10, Ps 81, Mk 12:28-34 &nbsp; To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below:\u00a0 &nbsp; The following points were considered:\u00a0 On [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/","og_site_name":"Catholic Preaching","article_published_time":"2018-03-09T13:56:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-03-16T13:54:27+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms-195x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Fr. Roger Landry","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fr. Roger Landry","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/"},"author":{"name":"Fr. Roger Landry","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827"},"headline":"The Gift to Obey God&#8217;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018","datePublished":"2018-03-09T13:56:22+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-16T13:54:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/"},"wordCount":2969,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms-195x300.jpg","keywords":["Ash Wednesday","Confession","Distractions in Prayer","Do this in memory of me","Forgiveness","Giving All","Gossip","Hos 14:2-10","Lent","Loving Enemies","Loving Jesus more than Family Members","Loving Jesus more than our life","Loving Others","Loving the Lord","Loving with Affection","Mercy","Mk 12:28-34","Ps 81","Rending our Hearts","Returning to the Lord with our Whole Heart","Simon Son of John","St. Frances of Rome","St. Therese","State of Grace","The Eucharist"],"articleSection":["2017-2018","Audio Homily","Homily","Year II"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/","url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/","name":"The Gift to Obey God's Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018 - Catholic Preaching","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms-195x300.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-09T13:56:22+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-16T13:54:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?fit=220%2C338&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Baciccio-Saint_Francesca_Romana_Giving_Alms.jpg?fit=220%2C338&ssl=1","width":220,"height":338},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/the-gift-to-obey-gods-heavenly-command-of-love-friday-of-the-3rd-week-of-lent-march-9-2018\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Gift to Obey God&#8217;s Heavenly Command of Love, Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 9, 2018"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#website","url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/","name":"Catholic Preaching","description":"Msgr. Roger J. Landry, Diocese of Fall River","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827","name":"Fr. Roger Landry","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fr. Roger Landry"},"url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/author\/fr-roger-landry\/"}]}},"views":1181,"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6XGcd-3Xq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15216"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15259,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15216\/revisions\/15259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}