The
Greatest Commandment
March 4, 2004
Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Father Daniel Polzer, LC
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! Your shall love the Lord
yours 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 soul, with all
your mind, and 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 dares to
ask him any more questions.
Introductory Prayer:Lord, as I prepare during this
time of Lent to celebrate the great mystery of your resurrection, I
come before you in prayer so that you can form me and direct me.
Burn away the sinfulness of my life so that I can glorify you with
a pure and contrite heart. You know my sinfulness. You know my
pride and sensuality. Accept my prayer today as a small token of my
love. My hope is that from the little I am able to love, you will
teach me to love with a magnanimous heart. I want to be part of
your kingdom. I do not want to be on the fringes but to plunge
myself into the depths of your love.
Petition:Lord, teach me to love you with my whole
heart, soul and mind and with all my strength.
1. Which Is the First? The question concerning the
first of the commandments was debated much by the scribes and
Pharisees. There is a human desire to know what is first and what
is second; to be able to put things in order. We are often
attracted to the promise made by this or that guru about the one
secret that will make us happy, healthy, or successful in business.
So, our natural curiosity is attracted to know what the first
commandment is, what we must do above all. We want to say, Just
tell me plain and simple what I must do and I will do it. Here
Jesus lays out, plain and simple, how we must live our lives:
loving God with everything we are and loving our neighbor as
ourselves.
2. Love Encompasses All. The scribe comments that
these laws are greater than any burnt offering or sacrifice. A
sacrifice or burnt offering without love is empty. It is love for
God and neighbor that gives all of our sacrifices, trials and good
works their value. Love is at the heart of our perfection and when
we are keeping this greatest of the laws to love God with all our
heart, soul, mind and strength , then all of the lesser things in
life will fall into place.
3. How Far Am I from the Kingdom? Jesus
congratulates the scribe for his understanding and tells him that
he is not far from the Kingdom of God. It gives us occasion to ask
ourselves, How far am I from the Kingdom of God? This scribes
knowledge was not merely book knowledge, for it is not in simply
knowing a certain number of truths that we obtain the Kingdom of
God. Rather it was an intimate knowledge of love knowing in a
practical way how to give ones heart, soul, mind and strength to
God.
Dialogue with Christ: Thank you Lord for this time
of prayer. I hope that after this short time with you, I am a
little closer to your kingdom. Help me during these days of Lent to
purify my heart so that I can love you with a genuine love. Help me
to keep in mind your commandment of love and to live it with all my
strength. I do not want to live my faith with a mere intellectual
knowledge of your commandments but to live it with a deep intimate
knowledge that bears fruits of true holiness.
Resolution: Before beginning each activity of the
day I will stop and ask myself how I can live it with love.
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Let us pray for all those young people who are thinking of giving a
year of their lives to God, so that our Lord will strengthen them
in their decision