March 20, 2020 – Daily Gospel Reflection
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.
“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.
Dear Friends,
A couple of
very interesting things are going on in todays Gospel. The tone set by the Scribe is one of genuine
interest. Often the Scribes and the
Pharisees are trying to trick or trap Jesus but today the Scribe seems truly
curious. When he asks Jesus for the
first of the commandment, Jesus gives him the first and the second, more that
what was requested and then he listens intently and demonstrates that he
understands what Jesus is saying.
This is our
challenge today to ask the important questions and to listen with understanding
to the answers our Lord has to give us. Is God first in my life and now that
the distractions of life have been torn away, what remains? Do I love my neighbor like I love myself? Are we calling those in need around us to
make sure they have what they need? This
is time to nurture and restore our relationship with God through prayer,
fasting and alms giving. I enjoy Jesus
response to the scribe that grasps what Jesus is saying, “You are not far from the Kingdom of
God.” With the time we have been given
let us draw closer to His Kingdom as well, knowing that God will always give us
more that what we ask for.
No comments:
Post a Comment