MARY, OUR MOTHER

VATICAN - The four “Acts” basic Christian prayers

The Act of Charity (3)

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. One day a doctor of the Law questioned Jesus to put him to the test: “Master which is the greatest of the commandments?” (Matthew 22, 36). Jesus replied: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment” (Matthew 22, 37-38)” Then he adds: “And the second is similar to the first: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 22, 39-40/Mk 12/Lk 10).

During the Last Supper Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment: “I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you” (Jn 13, 34).

Because we are loved by God we must love one another and we must love as God’s loves, otherwise we will not be recognized as Christians, as disciples of Jesus (cf Jn 13, 35).

How does God love? Jesus revealed this on the Cross. Saint Luke is also called the evangelist of Divine Mercy and he is the only one of the four evangelists who records for us seven last words of Jesus on the Cross:

1. “When they reached the place called The Skull, there they crucified him and the two criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.'” (Lk 23, 33-34a).

2. One of the criminals jeers and insults Christ, but when the other, whom we know as the ‘good thief’, says: “'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ , he hears Jesus reply, 'In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'” (Lk 23, 42-43).

Luke is the only one who recorded for us what are known as the three parables of Divine Mercy: the parable of the ‘lost sheep’ (Lk 15, 4-7), the parable of the ‘lost mite’ ( Lk 15, 8-10) and the parable of the ‘prodigal son’, perhaps better called the ‘merciful father’ (Lk 15, 11-32).

He is also the only one to give Jesus’ teaching on who is my neighbor : “Who is my neighbor?” a doctor of the law asks Jesus (Lk 10, 29b), and "how must we love our neighbor ?" The parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10, 29-37), which closes as follows: “Go and do the same” (verse 37b).

(to be continued) (J.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/4/2007, righe 30, parole 410)

Links:
See act of charity in various languages
http://www.fides.org/ita/approfondire/preghiere/acte_de_charite.doc