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.

 

What does it take to find the Kingdom of God? Simple - love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.  If you do this, you will find the Kingdom of God.  These two commandments which appear to be two different commandments are actually one in the same.  How can you love God without loving your neighbor?  Whatever you do to the least of your brother, you do unto the Lord.  To love your neighbor with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength is to love God.  When we do this, we truly find God in others.  We are called to love and cherish what God has given us because “God is love.” 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 to help the early Jews understand how to obey the commandments.  They just kept expanding until it became more about following the rules then about loving ones neighbor.  So when asked, which commandment is most important, Jesus tells his people, “Why are you making things so complicated?” All these “rules” are important, 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.  Once we realize this, we have entered into the Kingdom of God.

 

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