Friday - Lent Time
1) Opening prayer
God, we do not want to die;
we want to live.
We want to be happy
but without paying the price.
We belong to our times,
when sacrifice and suffering are out of fashion.
God, make life worth the pain to be lived,
Give us back the age-old realization
that life means to be born
again and again in pain,
that it may become again
a journey of hope to you,
together with Christ Jesus our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 12, 28-34
One of the scribes who had
listened to them debating appreciated that Jesus had given a good answer and
put a further question to him, 'Which is the first of all the commandments?'
Jesus replied, 'This is the first:
Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, and you must 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 must love your neighbour as
yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'
The scribe said to him, 'Well
spoken, Master; what you have said is true, that he is one and there is no
other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and
strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important
than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'
Jesus, seeing how wisely he had
spoken, said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And after that no one
dared to question him any more.
3) Reflection
•
In today’s Gospel (Mk 12, 28b-34), the Scribes and the Doctors of the Law want
to know from Jesus which is the greatest commandment of all. Even today, many
people want to know what is more important in religion. Some say that it is to
be baptized. Others say that it is to go to Mass and to participate in the
Sunday Mass. Others still say: to love our neighbour and to struggle for a more
just world! Others are concerned only of the appearances and of the tasks in
the Church.
•
Mark 12, 28: The question of the Doctor of the Law. Some time before the
question of the Scribe, the discussion was with the Sadducees concerning faith
in the resurrection (Mk 12, 23-27). The doctor who had participated in the
debate, was pleased with Jesus’ answer, he perceived in it his great
intelligence and wishes to profit of this occasion to ask a question to clarify
something: “Which is the greatest commandment of all?” At that time; the Jews
had an enormous amount of norms to regulate the observance of the Ten
Commandments of the Law of God. Some said: “All these norms have the same
value, because they all come from God. It is not up to us to introduce any
distinction in the things of God”. Others said: “Some laws are more important
than others, and for this reason, they oblige more!” The Doctor wants to know
what Jesus thinks.
•
Mark 12, 29-31: The response of Jesus. Jesus responds quoting a passage
from the Bible to say that the greatest among the commandments is “to love God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all our
strength!” (Dt 6, 4-5). At the time of Jesus, the pious Jews recited this
phrase three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. It was so
well known among them just as the Our Father is among us. And Jesus adds,
quoting the Bible again: “The second one is: You shall love your neighbour as
yourself” (Lec 19, 18). There is no other greater commandment than these two”. A
brief but very profound response! It is the summary of everything that Jesus
teaches on God and his life (Mt 7, 12).
•
Mark 12, 32-33: The response of the Doctor of the Law. The doctor agrees
with Jesus and concludes: “Well said, to love your neighbour as yourself, this
is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice”. That is, the
commandment of love is more important than the commandments which concern the
worship and sacrifices of the Temple. The Prophets of the Old Testament already
had affirmed this (Ho 6, 6; Ps 40, 6-8; Ps 51, 16-17). Today we would say that
the practice of love is more important than novenas, promises, sermons and
processions.
•
Mark 12, 34: The summary of the Kingdom. Jesus confirms the conclusion
of the Doctor and says: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God!”. In fact,
the Kingdom of God consists in the union of two loves: love toward God and love
toward neighbour. Because if God is Father/Mother, we are all brothers and
sisters, and we should show this in practice, living in community. “On these
two commandments, depend all the law and the prophets!” (Mt 22, 40). We,
disciples, should keep this law in our mind, in our intelligence, in our heart,
in our hands and feet, which is the first one, because one cannot reach God
without giving oneself totally to one’s neighbour!.
•
Jesus had said to the Doctor of the law: “You are not far from the Kingdom of
God!”(Mk 12, 34). The Doctor was already close, but in order to be able to
enter into the Kingdom he had to still go a step forward. In the Old Testament
the criterion of the love toward neighbour was: “Love the neighbour as
yourself”. In the New Testament Jesus extends the sense of love: “This
is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you! (Jn 15, 12-23). Then
the criterion will be “Love the neighbour as Jesus has loved us”. This
is the sure path to be able to live together in a more just and fraternal way.
4) Personal questions
•
Which is the most important thing in religion for you?
•
Today, are we closer or farther away from the Kingdom of God than the Doctor
who was praised by Jesus? What do you think?
5) Concluding Prayer
Among the gods there is none to
compare with you,
for you are great and do
marvellous deeds,
you, God, and none other. (Ps 86,8.10)
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