When the Pharisees gathered around Jesus with their testing question about the greatest commandment, they probably expected a complex theological debate. Instead, Jesus gave him, and us, the most beautifully simple yet profound answer: love God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself. These aren't just nice words to hang on a wall; they're the blueprint for a life that truly matters. Think about it, in a world obsessed with accumulating more stuff, achieving higher status, and building bigger platforms for ourselves, Jesus cuts straight to the heart of what actually fulfills us: Love. Pure, selfless, all-consuming love for God and genuine love for the people He places in our path.
Today, as we celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we see this commandment lived out perfectly in our Blessed Mother. Mary shows us what it looks like to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind. Her "yes" to the angel wasn't just a moment of obedience; it was a lifetime commitment to putting God's will above her own comfort, reputation, and plans. And her love for us, her spiritual children, flows directly from her perfect love for God. That's why she keeps appearing to us, guiding us, interceding for us. She gets it; she understands that when we truly love God, we can't help but love others. For those of us who are Marian at heart, who find ourselves drawn to her maternal guidance, we're called to imitate this same radical love that she modeled so perfectly.
Here's where the rubber meets the road, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor "as yourself," which assumes we have a proper understanding of our own worth as beloved children of God. But so often, we get tangled up in our possessions, our wealth, our achievements, our carefully curated image. We think these things define us or give us value. News Flash: They don't! The beautiful truth is that our worth comes from being created and loved by God, period. When we start getting rid of the excess - whether that's physical clutter, emotional baggage, or spiritual pride, we create space for what really matters. There's something deeply humbling and freeing about simplifying our lives, about recognizing that we don't need all this stuff to be happy or have value. It's like Mary's Magnificat, where she rejoices that God "has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." When we empty ourselves of what doesn't matter, God can fill us with what does.
This is why making rosaries brings such joy into my life; it's an exciting way to spread the love for both God and neighbor. Every bead represents a prayer, every decade an opportunity to meditate on the mysteries of our salvation. When we make these beautiful rosaries, we're literally putting love into people's hands. You're giving them a way to draw closer to Jesus through Mary, to find peace in a chaotic world, to experience the kind of deep, soul-satisfying relationship with God that our hearts are designed for. The Catholic faith isn't just a set of rules or traditions, it's an invitation into the most amazing love story ever told. It's God saying, "I love you so much that I became one of you, lived among you, died for you, and rose again so you could live with me forever." That's the kind of love that changes everything, that makes life worth living, that gives meaning to every single day. And the best part? This love is available to anyone who seeks it, who opens their heart to receive it, who chooses to believe that they are infinitely cherished by Almighty God.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
