Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“To love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Gospel Reading: Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Today’s Gospel reading is probably one of my favorite Gospel readings in that it provides us with an understanding of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is asked which is the first or most important of all the commandments. Jesus replies, "The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Now one would expect him to stop there, but he does not. He goes on to tell us that the second most important commandment is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” So why would he go on with the second unless the second was almost as important as the first. Have you ever just sat down and thought about these words. Wow - There is no other commandment greater than these. We are called to love and cherish what God has given us because “God is love.” “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." In the time of Moses, God gave us the Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments were expanded into 616 precepts of the Old Testament or the Torah. Jesus says to his people – why are you making things so complicated. All these things are good, but unless you do these things out of love, they are not sincere. There is only one important thing and that is to love as God has loved you. Everything we do should be out of love for God and love for neighbor. We should not obey the commandments because they are law, but out of love for our fellow man.

I think that the greatest example of God’s love is a mother with child. This child was formed from the love and passion between man and woman through the grace of God. During this encounter, the three become one. This is the closest realization of the three in one mystery which is God. Man and woman pour out their love for each other and God pours out his love on them through the creation of life. When you see an expecting mother, you know that God has graced her with the greatest gift of all. It is often said that an expectant mother has a glow about her. I think it is the Holy Spirit overflowing through the creation of life within her womb. This is why life is so precious. During the union between God, man and woman, God’s love is overflowing. When life is created, God’s love pours out into the world. If you need to see God’s greatest gift, the gift of love, look in the mirror because it is you. You are life created out of the love of God. When you awaken in the morning, thank God for this gift, thank him that you are able to share the gift of your life with others; that the gift that was created between your mother and father can now share the gift of love. Before you take action on anything, ask yourself, “Is this out of love?” If not, convert what you were going to do to a gift of love. Our faith in God is our most cherished gift which we give back to him. We have the freedom to love, the choice is ours.

A Simple Prayer

Oh how I love you O merciful God.

I desire to love you more and to be embraced by the Holy Spirit.

May your love overflow in me and overflow out of me.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon