Mark 12:28-34

Hosea 14:2-10

Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17

Mark 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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I love you above all things. I desire to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I can only do that with your grace. Give me the gift of your grace and pour your divine love into my heart.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Rejecting False Gods and Worshipping the One True God: All three readings today refer to the need to reject false and foreign gods and turn with love to the one true God. In the First Reading, we heard the conclusion of the Book of Hosea, in which the prophet exhorted Israel to return to the Lord God. Hosea’s exhortation takes the form of a prayer that recognizes our need for forgiveness. We have all sinned against God and we need to beg for his merciful love. We all desire to offer to God an acceptable sacrifice and true worship. Our return to God means placing our hope and trust in him and not earthly powers – represented by Assyria and warhorses. We must turn from the idolatry of sin. As Hosea says: “We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands.” This, then, is our path to God: turning from sin, asking the Lord for forgiveness, trusting in him, and offering to him true worship.

2. God’s Response to Our Conversion: After dealing with our path to God, Hosea looks at God's response to our conversion of heart. On the one hand, God will heal our wounds, inflicted by sin. He will purify us because he loves us and will turn his wrath from us even when we have been unfaithful to his covenant. On the other hand, we will be introduced into God's life and family (Hosea 1:10) and be empowered to bear fruit for God’s kingdom. Hosea conveys this truth through the image of a flower that blossoms, a resplendent olive tree, the fragrance of cedar, a fruitful vine, abundant grain, and good wine. Ephraim is mentioned throughout the Book of Hosea. Although only one of the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel, “Ephraim” is sometimes used to refer to all ten tribes. The humbling of Ephraim, through the Assyrian invasion in 723 B.C., is mentioned today and was also mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Hosea. Thus, the Book of Hosea begins and ends with the promise that God will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel – the northern kingdom. However, God will be merciful to the house of Judah – the southern kingdom (Hosea 1:4-7). The ending of Hosea serves as a warning not to be foolish like the northern kingdom and fall into idolatry. 

3. Love of God and Neighbor: In the Gospel, the scribe approaches Jesus with good will and asks him a legitimate question: “Which of the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses is the first?” Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – Israel’s great confession of faith – in response. This confession contains an important truth: The Lord is not only the one God of Israel but is the one and only true God of the whole world. Love needs to be our response to God’s love: love for God and love for all men and women. The scribe approves of Jesus’ response and adds that love for God and for neighbor is worth more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices offered in the Temple. The scribe was unaware that Jesus would soon replace the ineffective sacrifices of the old Temple with his one efficacious sacrifice on the Cross as the Lamb of God. Jesus’ sacrifice “fulfills both the commandment of love and the old covenant sacrifices. Like the temple holocausts, Jesus would be entirely consumed in his self-offering. Yet the value of his sacrifice is infinitely greater than the temple holocausts because of the fire of love for God with this it was offered. Jesus’ perfect sacrifice becomes the source and model for the love of Christians” (Mary Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 248). The scribe, Jesus remarks, is not far from the Kingdom of God, but this means that the scribe has not yet allowed God to fully reign in his life. Jesus encourages the scribe and challenges him to continue seeking the Kingdom. That encouragement and challenge is also extended to each one of us today.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I desire with all my heart and soul to live according to the two commandments of love. Enlighten my mind so that I know how I should love both God and neighbor and strengthen my heart to give my life for others.

Living the Word of God: How am I living the commandment to love God above all things? Is there anything I prioritize above God? How am I living the commandment to love my brothers and sisters? Do I put myself before them or am I seeking to serve them?