Fifth Sunday in Lent
Deacon Robert Banet
My son is studying the American Revolution and he came across the Hessian Guards. Do you know what they were?
Yes, I remember them from grade school. They were mercenaries.
What’s a mercenary?
Mercenaries fought for money. They did not fight for patriotism or to repel invaders. They just fought for money.
Oh, now I understand what God meant when He was talking to Catherine of Siena.
What did He say?
He said He did not want mercenary love.
Oh, that means He did not want the love that looks for something in return. A reward. Like heaven.
Yes, that’s the way I take it. He wants to be loved for Himself, for His own goodness, for His own beauty.
Oh, so that even though we want heaven, we would still be satisfied to love Him without it.
God, grant me the grace to love You.
Amen. With all my heart and soul.