Luke Pearson
Dear Friends,
Many of you might not know this, but I was raised in a very theatrical family. My mother watches the Tony Awards every year (religiously). My Grandfather can recite from any one of Shakespeare sonnets and my younger brother Zachary has a Bachelors in Fine Arts for acting from Syracuse’s Department of Drama. In the Pearson household our home is usually filled with the melodies of show tunes blasting from the living room speakers.
Out of all the great plays and musicals that touch the hearts of my family members, there is one musical that my family loves the most. That musical is Les Miserable. It is a musical about revolution, compassion, resilience, and most importantly shared love for mankind.
The show is magnificent and the story is inspiring. Overall the show emphasizes the importance and necessity of using all of our strength to love one another fully. This lesson becomes fully evident as the show concludes with this famous line, “Remember the truth that was once spoken; to love another person is to see the face of God!”
In today’s Daily Office Gospel reading, Jesus’s lessons on love are also magnificent and inspiring. A lawyer asks Jesus the question, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is greatest?” Our Savior’s response is clear. “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. Jesus answers the lawyer's question. However, Jesus does not stop there. He provides the lawyer and everyone listening to him an encore to the first commandment. Christ gives them the second commandment in direct relation to the first as he says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Unlike the lawyer and the Pharisees, Christ does not try to trick us with these two commandments. In fact, he does the opposite. Our Savior enlightens us. He enlightens our minds, hearts and spirits to the truth of God's eternal love for us. A love that is revolutionary, awesome, and miraculous. A love that must be shared with all of our neighbors too that we can break past the divisive walls that separate us. A love that is fueled by hope.
My friends, God’s love is right before us. No matter where we find ourselves, our Lord takes center stage during every act within our lives. When we love another person, God’s face becomes clear to us. When we commit ourselves to caring for our neighbors we are united in God's eternal grace. Now let us go out into the world and be transformed by love one day more.
Best,
Luke