Friday of the
Third Week of Lent
(Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34)
People today often ask, “Who is the greatest?” or, “What
is most important?” They believe that if they walk in the footsteps of the
greatest person who ever lived or seek what is most important in life, they
will not end up disillusioned. The
gospel shows that people of antiquity asked the same kind of questions.
The man asks Jesus, “Which is the first of all the
commandments?” It is sometimes said that
the first commandments for Jews is to “be fruitful and multiply.” But Jesus does not concern himself with
clever answers here. He goes right to
the heart of the matter. The first
commandment, he says in, “’You shall love the Lord your God.’” And the second greatest
commandment is to “’love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Many of us have difficulty loving God. Some even say that to love our neighbor is to
love God. Although the two commandments may
sound much alike, there is a critical difference. God is the greatest good – the creator and
sustainer of all things. In faith we
know that He exists as the One who loves us despite our many faults. Because He tells us to love our neighbor, we make
the effort to do so. Even though our
neighbors may hurt us, we love them by wanting what is best for them.
