Sunday Mass Gospel
Reflection
A Reading
from the holy Gospel
according to
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.
October 31, 2021
In the gospel, Jesus discusses the two greatest
commandments: love for God and love for one's
neighbor. These two manifestations of love should never
be separated and should always be together.
We must first understand God's definition of
"love." Love is a willful decision to behave in response to
a deep, abiding care and affection for the object of our
love. God commands us to love him with all of our hearts,
souls, minds, and strength. When the Bible uses "loving
God" as a command, it becomes the driving force
(strength) behind not just how we feel about God (heart),
but also how we think about Him (mind) and what we
want from Him (soul). God's love inspires every decision
we make and gives us the power to live our lives.
Mankind as a whole is a single entity. God's love is
available to everyone. Merely those who love God or
only love others are half-perfect in virtue; for only those
who have a good reputation in both areas of loving God
and mankind are perfect. The Ten Commandments are
only half-followed if only the "loving God" instructions
are followed. To properly love God, one must also
properly love one's neighbors, especially those with
whom one disagrees.
Our relationship with God is shaped by how and
what we think about our neighbors. Conforming our
thinking to God's and neighbor's love determines how we
live as Jesus' disciples.