The Two Most Important Rules

One day after Mass, a group of kids played on the church grounds when they heard a voice call out, “What’s the most important rule for playing together?” It was Father Bill, their friendly pastor. He always reminded them to play fair and take turns. But this time, they wanted to know what he thought was the most important rule.
“Is it always sharing your toys?” asked Emma.
“Or never pushing?” added Tommy.
“Or helping someone who falls down?” wondered Sarah.
Father Bill smiled. “Those are all good, but two rules matter the most. If you follow them, everything else will fall into place.”
The kids gathered closer to hear. “First,” he said, “always love and respect God, because He made everything, including us. And second, love your neighbors—your friends, your family, and even people you don’t know—just like you love yourself.”
The kids thought about it. Since they love God, they would want to be kind and follow the rules. And if they treated others the way they wanted to be treated, they’d always be fair, share, and help each other out.
From that day on, they remembered Father Bill’s advice whenever they played. By loving God and their neighbors, they created a place where everyone was happy and included.
Moral Lesson: Jesus teaches us that the Two Greatest Commandments are loving God and loving others. If we do these, everything else will follow.

A children’s story based on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus identifies the greatest commandments: love of God and love of neighbor, Mark 12:28b-34. Image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay.