Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12, 28b-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.
The main commandment
1. A scribe. Just to give you an idea of the context, there is a submissive and silent withdrawal of those who mocked Jesus because He had been silencing them with his teachings and actions. But in the midst of this there appears a single sincere person, who was only seeking the truth. People who seek the truth are straightforward and engage in dialogue in order to find the truth together, with great respect. Stick with those who reflect and seek the truth.
2. Love. Only love of God makes love of our neighbor possible. And it is only in this love of our neighbor that love for God can be maintained. The essence of everything is that you love Life (yes, with a capital letter). That’s how you discover the meaning of what you do and for whom. Loving your life, loving God, who encourages you to live fully, is what gives meaning to everything you do and it’s what nourishes your faith. To love is to accept, to love is to face, to love is to cry and to laugh, it’s to liberate and to give everything, without asking for anything in return. Love is absolutely vital; by loving God, you’re able to love your brothers and sisters, and yourself. The commandment is not an imposition but rather a conviction, because whoever loves God does what pleases the beloved. Don’t be afraid to fall in love with God and to strive for what you love.
3. You are not far. Come on! Fight on and keep moving ahead. Be prudent, don’t give up and don’t despair, be calm and be encouraged. Living a mature kind of love leads you to assume life differently, and that fills you with joy. God and your brothers and sisters are the path you must walk along in life every day, that’s how you nourish your heart and your spirit to strive for happiness. Today you can work on this with a good aspiration prayer and a smile to those around you.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
