“You are not far from the Kingdom of God,” said Jesus to the lawyer who upheld the equivalency of love of God and neighbor. But there is a catch in the sentence: being not far only implies being close enough; it is no guarantee that one is definitively within the Kingdom. What would move the lawyer – and us – from within the proximity to within the boundaries of the Kingdom? If knowing the greatest commandment with its equivalent love of God and neighbor takes us close to the Kingdom, it is doing the commandment that will move us in. Ask God for the wisdom to know the commandments and the courage to do the same. Do an examination of conscience today. Where do you stand in relation to doing the commandments?

We pray together: Stay by my side, St. Jude, so that my soul will always know the power of your healing love, for you are my solace in the face of loss and sorrow.