Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In the Gospel today Jesus gets to the heart of God’s law. We are to love God with our whole being, we are to love ourselves, and our neighbor as ourselves. It seems simple, right? As we know too well, it is anything but simple. As I was contemplating this deceptively straightforward commandment, I was reminded of something I frequently say to couples in my wedding homilies, “When we love, we are the most like God for we are doing what God does best.” God is the example of how we are to love, unconditionally, mercifully and completely. Love is not an easy thing to understand. We cannot take it into a lab and study it under a microscope. We cannot weigh it or measure it or quantify it. Love, like God, is a mystery. It is a mystery we yearn to understand and participate in. Our lives are, in some ways, a journey to love and to be loved.
Last week I talked about the reality that we are all made in the image and likeness of our loving God. As such every person is deserving of the same love we offer to God. Just as God loves us, we are called to love one another. If I were to ask you, “do you love God?” I know the answer would be a resounding “Yes!” This community is bursting with love for God, with love for one another and with love for the greater world. Even in these difficult times, you have answered the call to love more, to give more, to pray more and to help more.
Next week we will celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints on Sunday November 1. In the saints we have amazing examples of the many ways to love God and to love our neighbor. It is a great gift to have such a diverse group of saints, who show us how we can express our love and receive God’s love in a way that deeply enriches our lives. I think of our own beloved St. Junipero who was driven by love to leave his home in Mallorca to bring the good news of the Gospel to people he had never met, but who he already deeply loved. His love of God and God’s people drove him up and down the coast of California. It can only be God’s love that sustained St. Junipero through many trials and much suffering. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful saint here at our Mission to inspire us and guide us. St. Junipero’s’ spirit of love and service lives on this community, in each of you. I am honored to follow in St. Junipero’s great footsteps, and am so grateful for your companionship on that journey.
I wish you and your loved ones continued blessings of good health, renewed hope and profound peace,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission weekly bulletin.