Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

"Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength"

Gospel Reading: Mark 12:28-34

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 32 And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; 33 and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any question.

In today’s story, we hear about a man who eagerly seeks the truth. He listens to the words of Christ and hears in them the revelation of God. He seeks to learn and know God more fully. In seeking the truth, Jesus tells him that he is approaching the kingdom of God. What does the man seek? He is seeking God and God is love. According to Jesus, love is the most important commandment. We must love God and we must love our neighbor. To love God is to love ones neighbor. This scribe now knows the path to the kingdom of God. He knows that he must love as God loves us. This love goes beyond simple infatuation or causal flirting. It is a total commitment of self to others. This is a love that requires me to set aside my own wants for the betterment of others. The more we know and understand God, the more we experience God’s true love. “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” (John 3:16). Jesus reduced the whole of the Bible into these two simple commandments – love God and love neighbor. God wants us to love as he loves. God knew us and loved us before we were conceived in the womb. God is love and everything God gives us is out of his love for us. Our only response to his unlimited generosity and grace can be our love for him. We demonstrate our love for him through our love for our neighbor. If one does not truly love their neighbor then one does not truly love God. If we look at the last nine of the ten commandments, we see how Christ has summed these up into one commandment. To violate any one of the commandments is to allow hatred to enter ones heart. Love is a natural gift given to us by God, but man must learn to hate. Hatred is not a natural gift but something we inherited from our ancestors. Unfortunately, hatred is like learning to ride a bike, it is something we never forget. We must defeat hatred by allowing God’s love to grow within us. It is our faith and hope in promises made by God that allows our love for him and our neighbor grow. Today, make the extra effort to find only God’s beauty and love in our neighbors.

A Simple Prayer

Lord God of heaven and Earth, you command me to love you and neighbor.

Strengthen my hope and faith so I might know your love more deeply and fully.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon