Readings: Deut 6:2-6; Heb 7:23-28; Mk 12:28b-34
In the Gospel reading today a scribe asks Jesus which is the first, or greatest, of all the commandments. Jesus answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “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.” Our Lord went on to answer a question the scribe did not asked, that is, which is the second most important commandment? Jesus states that to love your neighbor as yourself is second.
The first and greatest commandment was not only recognized among the Jewish people as the most important commandment, but it was so important that they were reminded of this precept throughout the day. It was on the post of the gate entering their property, it was on the door of their house, and the men would wear them on their wrist and forehead inside the phylacteries (small leather boxes that were tied around the arm and head). Those on the gate and door posts remained perpetually; those on the wrist and forehead were put on daily and worn all day. Today they are worn only during the morning prayers.
Since all the other commandments God has given us are encompassed in these two great laws, whether in the Ten Commandments or the moral laws contained in Scripture, we need to focus our whole attention on these two laws in a particular way. It could be argued that we actually only need to focus on the first law and strive to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we do this, we will automatically love our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God.
In the first reading, the passages immediately prior to the great command, known in Hebrew as the Shema Israel (Hear, O Israel), the Lord tells the people that if they follow God’s commandments they will have a long life and grow and prosper. We all know the stories from the Old Testament and how the people rejected God’s Law many times. We also know from the history of the Church that there have been many occasions when those baptized into Jesus refused to love the Lord.
Perhaps we will try to claim it is too hard for us to love God with our whole heart and to love our neighbor as our self. To love is the very purpose of our creation. We are made in the image and likeness of God Who is love. So, this commandment does not violate us or even gravitate against our nature. In fact, it is only by loving God and neighbor that we find our fulfillment as human persons.
Remember, that when God commanded us to love Him with our whole heart, He is not seeking anything for Himself. God is absolutely perfect, which means He gains nothing from all the love we give Him. If God were to gain something from our love, that would mean there was something lacking in God and that He can change by what we do for Him. If that were the case, He would not be perfect and, therefore, should not be worshipped.
God is perfectly good and perfectly loving. That means He only wants what is best for us. This is the irony in the practice of following God’s commandments: if we love Him and follow His commandments, we benefit from this, God does not. We act according to the way we were created and become more and more conformed to the Lord.
What is even more astounding is that this only occurs if we love, that is, if we act in a selfless manner. If we are selfish and seek something for ourselves, we will actually lose something of what we have because we are acting contrary to our nature. If we are not seeking anything for ourselves, we will receive abundantly because we gain from loving as we were created to love
Sin and selfishness have made it very difficult for us love God and neighbor as we should. However, God knew this and has provided the means for us to overcome this difficulty. He gave us His Son to show us what loving God and neighbor with one’s whole heart looks like in practice. But our Lord did not just give us an example, He continues to love us. St. Paul tells us that Jesus lives to makes intercession for us as our High Priest and He is able to save those who approach God through Him. So, being united with Jesus as members of His Body, we should approach the Father through Jesus and, with His help, love God our whole heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.
Fr. Altier’s column appears regularly in The Wanderer, a national Catholic weekly published in St. Paul, Minn. For information about subscribing to The Wanderer, please visit www.thewandererpress.com.
