THE GREATEST JOY

Nothing brings us greater joy than putting God first, others second, and ourselves. This is the principle of Christian spirituality: God first in all things. The urgent call is to seek God’s kingdom and its righteousness first, and then other things will be added (Mat.6:33).

When God is first, the reality is that our lives become ordered and work well. This implies loving God above all things.

BEING A CHRISTIAN MEANS TO LOVE

God is love (1 John 4:8). This statement has a fundamental implication for all who are adherent followers or devotees to God in the Christian religion. Here, the fact is clear being a Christian implies being a lovable person. This is what it means to love to be a Christian.

Therefore, Christian spirituality is the consciousness of God lived out in concrete relationships with others. In essence, Christianity is the love of God and the loving treatment of others and this is the Summary of the laws and the prophets as well as the Ten Commandments.

OUR THEME

The readings invite us to reflect on the essence of following God. That is the love of God above everything else and others like ourselves. This proves that without love, Christianity is a purely rational human organization.

Love is reverence fear to obey and follow God a people to be his in all ways and manner. Love is the conscious decision with heart, soul and might.

 Love is the sacrifice of giving all up for the sake of God and others.  Love does not just make us Christians and lovable people. It makes us dwell in God and brings us closer to the Kingdom of God.     

To love and be loved is what makes us truly human and divine. Therefore, the challenge is to love God totally with our being: heart, mind, soul, and spirit and to love our brothers and sisters as ourselves.

FIRST READING: DEUTERONOMY 6:2-6

The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy speaks of the most fundamental principle of the Christian faith and life. “Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This is the fundamental Christian choice for growth and prosperity in the Lord, life, and the Church.

It is not the gimmick of seed sowing or giving characterized by today’s Christian living.

However, this love of God should be a conscious, deliberate decision or action from the heart and will of their being. The call is for Israel to love the Lord God with all its heart with no reservations.

PSALM 18

Today’s psalm is an open invitation to declare or profess our love for God. It states, I love you, Lord: my strength, rock, fortress and deliverer from all evil.

The Psalmist encourages us to centre our lives and existence on God. The creator and saviour who is our stronghold, shield and salvation. A saviour who keeps us safe from evil; grants us victory and is kind to us.

SECOND READING: HEBREWS 7:23-28

The author of the Book of Hebrews presents us with the gift and nature of Christ’s priesthood. Christ is a priest-God that lives forever. He intercedes for us before God. He is holy, innocent, undefiled, and separated from sin and sinners. He is glorified in the highest heavens.

Hence, his sacrifice is pure, holy and perfect for all times. The implication is, that we who share in Christ’s priesthood, are configured to be like him: putting God first and the people of God above all priorities.

The priesthood of Christ is the surety of a new and better covenant in the relationship between man and God. It is a covenant based on the unfathomable love and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

It is important to note that the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood is based on the laws of justice and obedience.

While the new covenant is based on God’s love and the unselfish sacrifice of his Son. A sacrificial love that makes Christ lay down his life for us.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK 12:28-34

In today’s gospel, Jesus synchronizes two Old Testament texts: Deuteronomy 6: 4-7 and Leviticus 19:18 to give us the core or essence of the Ten Commandments.

The first-degree principle of Christianity: 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.

Then, with the addition of the second-degree principle: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.

He summarizes Christian beliefs and practices. This Christian spirituality of love (God and others) is above all: burnt offerings, ritualistic worship, theological knowledge, sacrifices, giving and donations.

 Like Israel, we should pray the Shema often to establish that the Christian life is the love of God and others.

Indeed, it is hard to live in opposition to God and still recite to love Him as the Israelites did. In our spiritual life, the prayer disappears when we live in disobedience.

Praying the Shema three times a day is the most conscious and powerful way to shape Christian reality and the presence of God in and around us.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST

The old priests did not live long and served God for a while. When they died they were replaced. On the contrary, the priesthood of Christ is forever.

It is a priesthood of holiness where mediation of Christ between God and man requires a sense of innocence, purity and goodness.

Jesus was never conscious of his power and authority as a means to oppress or hurt anyone. Rather, he was an empathetic character who related God’s loving-kindness of God to all men and women.

Jesus is the eternal high priest and at the same time, the purest or stainless victim offers to God without blemish.

Jesus is different from sinners. This does not mean that he was not really or fully a man. It implies that he is the perfection of humanity at its highest and best.

The priesthood of Christ makes him higher than the heavens because of his divine Godhead. Christ is a priest-God to whom the heavens and the earth are subject. Christ above the heavens is an expression that does not mean his exaltation or perfection.

In summary, the book of Hebrews enlightens us to understand man’s primordial quest: human beings are always seeking an eternal dwelling place in the presence of God.

However, their sins are barriers to their access to God. As a result, man is restless until he rests in God. Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest, is the only one who can make the sacrificial love and peace offering to bring men and women back to God.

 THE SHEMA

Jesus did give a simple, direct answer to the Scribe’s question in the gospel. That, which commandment is the first of all? This is an answer every male Jew should know since the Shema is a prayer they recite daily. Precisely, it is a prayer found in the Old Testament.  

The Jews regard the Shema as the most essential prayer in Judaism. This is because it reminds them of the principle of the faith. There is only one God.

THE MENTALITY OF LAW AND NO LOVE IN JUDAISM

The law is the essence of Judaic religion before and during the time of Jesus. For the Jews, keeping the oral and written laws is the centrality of religion. Probably, it is a thing of focus among the adherents of many religions today. Where keeping and maintaining the law is viewed as paramount to human well-being.

When it comes to interpretation of the law. With the law, there is no love between the experts in the law, the Scribe and the Sadducees. There was this constant bone of contention between the Scribe and the Sadducees. Especially over the interpretations of the oral and written laws. The profession of the scribes was to interpret the law in all its many rules and regulations.

This is the context of clarification of the scribal question to Jesus. A respectful teacher who is not afraid to speak up his mind on any topic or matters of faith.

RELIGIOUS MENTALITY OF THE PRACTICE OF LAW VERSUS LOVE

 It is easy to let rituals and laws take love’s place in religion. There is a negative observance of keeping the “dos or don’ts” which established 90% of religious practices.

However, not doing the don’ts of the religious laws does not imply living an authentic true Christian life. Christianity is a spirituality of conscious doing the good rather than avoiding the bad. It is a religion of loving God and others than the laws and rituals.

LOVE IS ALL IN RELIGION

Hence, Christ invites the Scribe to put God first above everything else. That is loving with whole heart, will, mind, soul, spirit, and might. A conscious decision or action to put God first, in all and above self, others and things.

 In addition, Jesus extends this call to love God with love for others as oneself.

The religious Scribe is a teacher or doctor of the Mosaic Law. Hence, he knew the answer to his question but probably asked to test Jesus. He affirms that the love of God and others is above everything else in religion. It is more fundamental than any offerings and sacrifices.

No one until Jesus had the two commandments together and made them one. Religion, in Christ’s understanding, is loving God and loving men. For him, the only way a man can prove that he loves God is by showing that he loves men. This is the fundamental of religion and nothing more.

LOVE OF GOD

The most important question we should ask ourselves today is: how I we love God?

1. We must keep God’s commandments, and offer daily prayers of thanksgiving, praise, and contrition for our failings, and petition for our needs.
2. We should read and meditate on His word in the Holy Bible and participate actively in the Holy Mass and other liturgical functions.
3.  If we love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, then we place His will ahead of ours. We must also learn to ask Him for help when we have to say no to things that we might want to do.
4. Love of God makes us seek the will of God and make it paramount in our lives.

LOVE OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Our brothers and sisters immediate to us in the family, workplace, public places, and Church are our neighbours. How do we love them as neighbours?

We love our neighbours by helping, supporting, encouraging, forgiving, and praying for them. We cannot practice discrimination based on colour, race, gender, age, wealth, or social status.

If we must love our neighbour as we love ourselves or as Jesus has loved us. It will cost us sacrifices and suffering as it did Jesus!

Love of others invites us to be humble and seek forgiveness when we think we have done something wrong.

Love means we may have to sacrifice something we think we need to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. We should pray for other people and reach out to them, helping, encouraging, and supporting them in the name of the Lord.

LIFE’S FACTS

To focus on self creates bitterness, lack of fulfilment, frustration, discouragement and narcissism of a restless spirit, soul, and aching body.

Meanwhile, letting go of our self or ego brings joy, peace, contentment and ease of spirit, soul and body.

Finally, the love that God calls us to is the love, he empowers us by filling us with his grace. God is love, 1Jn 4:8. If we are his, we should be love to our brothers and sisters.

FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

What is your take on religion and religious practices today? Are you satisfied with the practice of the Christian faith today? Or are you fed up with religion, its practices and adherents?

What is your religious mentality? Loving God and caring for others through positive actions, words and thoughts? Or are you ritualistic and legalistic with the rules and regulations of “don’ts”?

POINT OF REFLECTION

The fundamental fact of our reflection today is that without true love of God and others from the heart, will, might, spirit, and soul, there is no true joy and peace.

a. Religion has no transformational value to the life of a man.

b. It is incapable of changing the animalistic nature of man.

c. The religious practices or religious mentality without love makes a man a beast or god. That acts with no impunity towards others in God’s name.

d. Without love, religion is a tool of oppression, manipulation and abuse in the name of God.

OUR PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, Christian spirituality is not in long hours of worship, the amount of donations given, the number of pious societies or groups one belongs to, or articulated knowledge of the Bible, doctrines or dogmas of faith. No! It is a challenge of love for God and love for others. Help us realize that our closeness to God´s kingdom is that we love Him and Others. Amen