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 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.” Everyone 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.  Or maybe the only way to express the first is through the second.  If we are all created out of his love for us and we all share in his glory, then loving one another would be the greatest sign of our love for God.  Take some time and just reflect on these simple words - There is no other commandment greater than these. Not one of the other, but both simultaneously.  We are called to love and cherish what God has given us because “God is love.” Because to love him with all our heart, with all our understanding with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as our self is the greatest gift we can give back to God.  The greatest gift we have is ourselves.  There is nothing else we can give God which he desires more.  It is in the self sacrifice of self that we show our true communion with our father in Heaven.  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 because we love God and our fellow man.

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