Today’s First Reading and the Gospel include the central prayer of ancient Israel (Shema). Jesus expanded this prayer into what is referred to as the Law of Love. In the reading from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Israelites, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” After just delivering the Ten commandments, Moses is urging the Israelites to worship and follow only the one true God. Instead, they stubbornly turn away to worship other gods and pursue false idols. Both a prayer and a commandment, these same precious words spoken to the Israelites are addressed to us even today. In the Gospel reading from Mark, we hear Jesus further develop this original commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus’s Law of Love summarizes all the Ten Commandments into one.

Jesus teaches that the love of God is inseparable from the love of neighbor. A scribe, who asks Jesus what is the first of all the commandments, shows great wisdom by declaring the new commandment “is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifice.” He recognizes that action in and of itself is not sufficient. Actions must be motivated by the love of God and neighbor. The Old Testament passage may seem irrelevant in modern times since Christians already accept there is only one God. Yet, there is still great significance for us today. How often do we seek material wealth, authority, power, and personal gratification by turning them into “false idols” ahead of God? Is our love for Him first and foremost in our hearts? Probably even more difficult is loving our neighbor, which requires action, not just a benign attitude. Merely parroting Christian beliefs without following through with behavior based on truly seeing God in every human being just won’t suffice. Bishop Robert Barron perhaps best describes what love of neighbor means. It is not a “mushy” sentiment in our thoughts or minds. It is “willing the good of the other”. This includes the “other” person that makes you uncomfortable because they’re different. Or maybe the person whose wronged you or holds animosity toward you. This is where the “simple” law of love gets complicated. We must be genuine in acting out our love of God and our love of neighbor. It is not an easy challenge, but Jesus calls us to follow through on His commandment to love with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

Reflection by Parishioner Dale Gerber

Reflection by parishioner John Ceglarek