God’s Law Of Love

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

October 26, 2026

in Spritual Growth

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October 25, 2026
Readings: Exodus 22:21-27
1 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Matthew 22:34-46

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 Homily – Abp. Hines

This is the day that the Lord has made, we will be glad and rejoice in it. Happy 30th Anniversary! A month-long celebration of God’s love and favor. We have much to be thankful for. Our God is awesome. We need not fear or be anxious. Why is 30 years significant? Jesus was preparing for 30 years. How many years and generations has He freed us? How many years has He given us provisions? Have we done our job as we should have?

Today’s Gospel teaches us about love. Last week, we learned that we are image bearers of God. Our purpose is to be like Him. It speaks so much of His plan and purpose for our lives. Most of us do not see our potential and yet God said we are to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth. In the Gospel, we see a lawyer trying to test Jesus and asked Him, which is the greatest commandment? Jesus answered: “the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.” God’s whole identity is love. He is driven by love. When He created the world, He did it with love. When He created man, He did it with love. He made sure that everything was fixed and arranged for man to enjoy because of love. He provided everything for man. This should say to us, if God is love, we should be love. We’ve allowed the enemy to cause so many problems in our lives. We need to love God with all our heart and our whole being. It’s time the church wakes up to be what God wants us to be. If we say we are love but hate our neighbor, then we are not Christians. There wouldn’t be all these hatred and corruption today if only we had followed God’s commandments. We are to love God and our neighbor. God expects us to love all His creation. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. It is where all the law is based. Unfortunately, we see more of the problems, the threats, the intimidations. When we look around and see His creation- the flowers, the trees, His provisions, they show us just how much God loves us.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” Psalm 103: 1-2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” What God has started, He will end. What has been done in heaven, will be done on earth. God’s provisions were given to us as a gift. Love edifies; love is kind. God is love. Love your enemies – if we only followed this commandment, we would not be having all these conflicts we are seeing in Iran, Israel, Palestine and all these warring countries. 1 John 4.17 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world.” God’s love for us goes beyond our weaknesses. This doesn’t mean we will be without problems, but we can conquer these with joy. We are to begin to manifest the life of Christ to the world. Thirty years may have been a practice time. Now we put it into action.