Gospel:Mk 12:28-34
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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 yourneighbor 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.
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The Gospel tells of the greatest commandment: The love of God and the love of neighbor. Jesus cites the greatest commandment as found in Deuteronomy (6:4) and Leviticus (19:18), respectively.
While the Synoptics all narrate this event (cf Mt 22:34-40; Lk 10:25-28), Jesus’ remark, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God,” is exclusively Markan.
The scribe explains that to do the greatest commandment is worth more than any
offering. Our nearness to God’s Kingdom is not determined by the practice of religious rituals but by the concretization of the greatest commandment through acts
of loving kindness.
Many of us are familiar with this commandment. The point is to make it operational in our daily life. Do we make the love of God and neighbor work in our everyday life? Do our lives give witness to the faith we profess? Do we feel close to God?
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul
Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
