succeed in loving. and we will find, in the end, that loving our neighbors is not an accomplishment, it is god's gift, who made us in love for love, and only by the grace of god are we able to love at all.
let us pray. god of the hungry heart, you loved us long before we knew ourselves to be lovable and you love us still; we know that your will for all people is health and salvation. help us so to love you, and our neighbor as ourselves, that our lives may be transformed in ever greater likeness to you and to your son, in whose name we pray. 