The Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB
Our Lord in today’s gospel was able to get straight to
the point when asked by the scribe what is the first of all the commandments.
Our Lord starts out simple enough: You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Jesus
is referring to the first three commandments of loving God: we are not to have
other strange gods before Him, we are not to take his name in vain, and we are
to keep holy the sabbath.
This part of the response from Jesus reminds me of
what many of us may have learned when we were taught the Baltimore Catechism: “Why
did God make you?” The answer “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to
serve Him n this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.” This is clear
and to the point. God made us because He loves us, and He expects us to love
Him fully in response and to be with Him always in heaven.
The second part of Jesus’ response is, I think, is a
little harder to do: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This part of
Jesus’ response refers to the rest of the 10 Commandments. Honoring our
parents, and showing respect for others by not stealing, lusting after them or
their belongings and not wanting to kill them. In other words, we are to show them
love and respect, even when at times it seems difficult to do so. Sometimes
even being angry at someone is just as bad as wanting to kill them. We are
called, through the 10 commandments, to look at others as God sees them: as
people made in His image. Human relationships are always a challenge when we
attempt to love the people in our lives that are not so easy to love. But that
is what Jesus is calling us to do. To love our neighbor as ourselves. This
includes not only those who may live near us, but all those in our extended
family that may be difficult to get along with. We are to look at them as those
created in the image of God, and attempt to have the love for them that God has
for them.
As we continue towards Holy Week and Easter, let us
strive to always try to improve our love of God with our whole heart, soul, and
mind. And to love our neighbors as ourselves. And when we fall short of these
things in relationship with God and with others, let us use the sacrament of
confession to get back on track in loving God and loving neighbor.
Lord Jesus, help us to love God with all our hearts, all
our souls, all our hearts and all our minds, and to love our neighbors as
ourselves. Amen.
You made a very good connection between the two greatest commandments JESUS gave us in today's Gospel & the Ten Commandments. The two greatest commandments are the basic principles & the Ten Commandments are the ways we live them out. A beloved,now deceased member of my old prayer group, Peggy Gavin,always used to remark that when the LORD tells us something He also gives us the "how to". I can still picture her & hear her saying this in my mind. The Ten Commandments is the "how to" for the two greatest commandments.
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