Ave Maria Meditations
With a solemnity of speech that reveals all the flame that burned in his heart, Moses speaks to the people of Israel about that precept which Jesus Christ called the first and greatest commandment of the entire law: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
The church Fathers recognize in these words a reference to the holy Trinity: the Lord as the Father, our God as the given Son, and the one God, the infinite love that unites the Father and Son, encompassing the Holy Spirit. Our love encompasses three distinct impulses, each with its unique goal while forming a unified whole: the heart, the soul, and the forces. These forces include those of the spirit and the body.
With the heart, we love God the Father; with the soul, we love God the Son; with our mind and actions, we love God as Love. The soul cannot really love God without knowing Him, appreciating Him, and giving herself to Him. With the mind we come to know Him; with the heart, we learn to appreciate Him; and through our actions, we wholeheartedly give ourselves to Him.
Let us say this phrase with all our soul: “I love you, O my God!” Give it a try, and you’ll feel the mind rising, the heart expanding, and the forces gently tending towards Him. It is therefore senseless to desire to love God without dwelling in the life-giving radiance of the holy Trinity.
The Servant of God, Don Dolindo Ruotolo
