The Feast of St. Rose of Lima

Today is the Feast of St. Rose of Lima, the Gospel reading is Matthew 22:34-40. When asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus gives a powerful answer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

St. Rose of Lima lived out this commandment beautifully. She wanted to love God above all things, and despite the fact that her desire to be a nun were denied, she lived a life of prayer, penance, and service to others out of love for Christ.

The whole law and the prophets is that if you put God above all others, we will have no other choice than to love others.