Reading I
Hos 14:2-10
Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”–
Because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.
Gospel
Mk 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!
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.
Meditation: Mark 12:28-34
You are not far from the kingdom of God. (Mark 12:34)
At Jesus’ words, a hush fell on the crowd. No one dared ask him any more questions. Jesus was accustomed to scribes and Pharisees approaching him with questions about the Law. He often used these questions as an opportunity to respond with a parable or teaching that challenged his questioners’ assumptions or uncovered their hypocrisy. But this time, Jesus said something completely unexpected. What was different?
Jesus saw that this man already had some understanding of what he was teaching. Even though we don’t know much about this scribe, his words demonstrate that he must have had some personal experience of the uselessness of empty sacrifice. It’s possible that he had experienced what Hosea described in the first reading: healing and love from a God who forgives sins. As a result, he understood that loving God and neighbor was his highest goal and actually fulfilled the Mosaic Law.
Jesus wants to see a similar understanding in us. He wants to get to the heart of the matter and call us to love in ways that fulfill the spirit of the Law. But that doesn’t mean we reject religious practices! This scribe can be our example. He was not casting off the observances of the Mosaic Law; instead, he came to see them in the way God intended. His pious practices flowed from his love for God, and this brought life and manifested God’s love to others.
As we begin to see the external practices of our faith for what they are meant to be—manifestations of our love for God and his grace at work in us—everything we do appears in a different light. We are not just going to Mass; we are offering ourselves in love to God and in service to others. We are not simply giving money to the poor or praying for the needy; we are loving Christ. We are not merely fasting; we are denying ourselves so that our love will be purified. It’s the fulfillment of the spirit of the Law that frees us to love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Lord Jesus, give me understanding! Help me to be humble, and open my eyes to see the heart of your Law so that I can love truly, from the heart! I want all my actions to spring from love.”
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