To love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul is not something we can achieve on our own. What we must do is ask the Our Lord for the grace to abide by this command. In order to do this, we must cultivate a spirit of humility. We too often believe that our own natural efforts can lead us to taking a virtuous path. Yet without God, we can do nothing.

The expression “friend, go up higher” sounds like both an encouragement and a command. All of God’s commands are intended for our betterment. God approaches us as friends, not a tyrant. He encourages us along the path of life’s way. Through His grace, we are elevated to the possibility of eternal life.

God will take care of us despite the difficulties we face in life. We can believe in God’s providence and still feel overwhelmed. We claim that we trust in God, but still pull back. He knows us totally. If we lose sight of this, pray reflectively the Pater Noster (Our Father).

God has care for all the creatures in the world. We must always keep confidence in Our Lord. To find sanctity, we must have humility and confidence in His Fatherly goodness. Our confidence in God is based on His love for us, His infinite wisdom, and His absolute power over everything.

Obedience has a special place in the Christian life. It is not merely doing what is asked, but we obey because we see God in our superiors. All authority descends from God.

The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us a dual lesson. First, the imagery of Christ’s compassion. The second, of mankind being graciously wounded since the Fall. Yet the Good Samaritan is a symbol of Our Lord to provide the man afflicted on the side of the road with the greatness of grace.

God wants us to be better. This demands that we look at ourselves, including our interior disposition. We are likely to discover darkness in our souls. It may disturb us to uncover this darkness. We must not be afraid of this experience, as it ultimately brings us closer to God.