LECTIONARY READINGS
First reading: Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Responsorial psalm: Ps 17(18):2-4, 47, 51
Second reading: Hebrews 7:23-28.
Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34
Link to readings
The readings this week remind us that the love of God and the love of other people lie at the core of our lives as Christians. In the First Reading, Moses reminds the people of Israel, who are about to enter the promised land, that they must love God with all their heart, soul and strength. The Psalm expresses our love for God, who is our rock and our refuge. It praises the God who has done so much for us.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews (Second Reading) speaks of Jesus as the ideal high priest. Unlike previous high priests, he lives for ever, and can ‘intercede for all who come to God through him’. Answering the question posed by a scribe in the Gospel, Jesus goes beyond the exhortation of Moses. We are indeed to love God, but we must also love our neighbour. Love of God, the greatest commandment, is inseparable from love of neighbour. This week, we might want to focus our prayer on the people around us, near and far, that they should know and love the Lord, and live in peace.
FIRST READING
Deuteronomy 6: 2–6
Moses said to the people: ‘If you fear the Lord your God all the days of your life and if you keep all his laws and commandments which I lay on you, you will have a long life, you and your children and your grandchildren. Listen then, Israel, keep and observe what will make you prosper and give you great increase, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, giving you a land where milk and honey flow.
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God is the one Lord.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength.”
Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart.’
REFLECTION
I come to my place of prayer, aware of being in God’s presence. I take the time to read the text slowly a couple of times, pausing where I am drawn . . . intrigued, or wanting to ponder for a few moments. Perhaps I reflect on the idea of ‘fearing the Lord’. Is that how I relate to God? Maybe I remember that in the Old Testament, ‘fearing’ can have a slightly different meaning, where it is more akin to being ‘in awe’ of someone. Does that help me?
The Lord God promises the people of Israel – promises me – ‘a land where milk and honey flow’. What does that mean for me today? What would I want this land to be like? Perhaps I can give thanks for it, even if can only see it in the distance. I speak to the Lord about this, and I listen. I remain in the Lord’s presence quietly, without words. Again, I listen. How far can I say that the words of the text are ‘written on my heart’? Might it help if I made these words personal?
‘The Lord my God is the one Lord,
I love the Lord my God with all my heart,
with all my soul, with all my strength.’
I pause, then perhaps repeat this phrase several times. How do I feel? When the time comes to conclude my prayer, I reflect on these moments I have spent with the Lord, and I give thanks.
GOSPEL
Mark 12: 28–34
One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a 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 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 with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust 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.
REFLECTION
Before reading the text and beginning to pray, I try to get into the right frame of mind. I take a few moments to reflect on what’s happened to me today so far, and insofar as I can, try to put aside any worries or anxieties. I ask the Holy Spirit to help me be fully present to what the Lord will say to me today. Slowly and prayerfully I read the text.
Maybe I find that I have been asking myself the same questions as the scribe. How do I feel as I listen to Jesus’s reply? I may want to engage in a conversation with him: ‘Yes of course, but . . .’ or . . . ‘I know, but what if . . .?’ Or perhaps I have a completely different question to ask. I make the most of the time I have with Jesus just now. I speak to him as two friends would speak, and I listen.
Going back to the text, I may want to consider how much I love my neighbour . . . or indeed how much I love myself. If I have some reservations here, I tell the Lord, and if needs be, I ask for his help.
In today’s context, what are the ‘holocausts and sacrifices’ that the scribe mentions? Perhaps they are the religious rituals I myself follow as a Christian. If so, what is their importance in my daily life and in my prayer? Once again, I know that I can be perfectly honest and frank in my conversation with the Lord. Eventually, with great gratitude, I take my leave with my own words of thanks.
Prepared by St Beuno’s Outreach in the Diocese of Wrexham, UK.