Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck
A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 22:34-40
Dear Friends in Christ,
My mother was recently diagnosed with ALS. Things she used to do without a second thought—getting around the house, eating a meal, cleaning up, getting dressed—have become difficult. My father is in a rehabilitation center, living with dementia and mobility problems of his own. My sister does the bulk of the caregiving for our family, and my family and I help her as I can.
Some days, love looks less like a feeling and more like helping my mother. It looks like making sure she can eat comfortably. It looks like visiting my father, sitting with him, and giving him our attention even when conversation is difficult. My brother and sisters and I are learning how much patience and care these ordinary moments ask of us.
So when I hear the question in today’s Gospel—“Which commandment in the law is the greatest?”—I hear it differently than I once did. Jesus answers, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then he adds, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The whole law and the prophets, he says, depend on these two commandments.
Loving God Through the Care of Others
Jesus does not let us separate love of God from love of neighbor. We cannot give God our hearts while withholding our hands from someone who needs them. And the neighbor who needs us may be the person across the street, or the parent sitting right beside us.
That does not mean caregiving is easy. It can be exhausting, frightening, and sad. My mother and father are facing losses none of us would have chosen for them. My sister and her family carry a great deal, and they need care and support too. Loving our neighbor as ourselves means recognizing that caregivers also need rest, help, and someone who will listen.
Yet amid these hard days, our family has seen the Holy Spirit at work. My sister’s faithful care is a beautiful witness of love, while the good moments we share bring joy and remind us that we are not facing these challenges alone. Through these experiences, the Holy Spirit is teaching us patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and gentleness. Little by little, we are also learning what it means to give of ourselves, not perfectly, but one day at a time.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta asked, “Where does this love begin? In our own home. How does it begin? By loving one another.” She went on to connect prayer with love, and love with service. Her words help me see that caring for my parents is not time taken away from loving God. It can be one way I love God with the time and strength I have been given.
Jesus shows us what that love costs—and where its strength comes from. He spoke the greatest commandment, then lived it completely. In his Paschal Mystery, through his suffering, death, and Resurrection, he gave himself wholly to the Father for our sake. At the Last Supper, he spoke of the New Covenant in his blood; on the Cross, he gave what those words promised. His love was not only a teaching. It was his life offered for us.
We cannot love as Jesus loves by willpower alone. Instead we need the Holy Spirit to help us keep giving when we are tired, to be gentle when we are worried, and to receive help without shame. We also need to make room for God in the middle of daily life. We can give him the first few minutes of the morning in prayer. Additionally, we can pray beside a parent’s bed or quietly on the way to a visit and we can fast from an impatient word or from the urge to rush someone who needs more time. And we can give alms to those in need, bring a meal to another family, or offer a caregiver a few hours of relief.
Living the Greatest Commandment Each Day
Not every day will go well. Giving God our best does not mean having endless energy or never feeling overwhelmed. It means offering him the day we actually have: our prayers, our limits, our work, and the love we can give today. Through the Holy Spirit, we can live the love Jesus commands and share in the life of his New Covenant.
For my family, that may begin with one more visit, one more meal, one more act of patient care. For each of us, it begins with the person God has placed before us.
Thanks and praise and glory be to you, LORD God, for sending us your Son, Jesus Christ. Through his death and Resurrection, he fulfilled the New Covenant and showed us what it means to love without holding back. Send us your Holy Spirit, that we may love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.
About Our Guest Blogger
Saint Carlo Acutis once said, “Not me, but God.” His words echo deeply in my own spiritual life. This blog is not about me, but about the work of the Holy Spirit. I choose to remain anonymous because the voice behind these reflections isn’t what matters — the One speaking through them is.
I am a lifelong Catholic with a deep love for Scripture, the sacraments, and the quiet ways God speaks through everyday life. Live the Eucharist was born from my desire to share how the Gospel and the Eucharist shape not just my Sundays, but every step of the journey.
My hope is that these reflections bless you, challenge you, and draw you closer to Jesus — truly present in the Eucharist and profoundly present in your daily life.
