COLLECT: “POUR YOUR GRACE INTO OUR HEARTS, WE PRAY, O LORD, THAT WE MAY BE CONSTANTLY DRAWN AWAY FROM UNRULY DESIRES AND OBEY BY YOUR OWN GIFT THE HEAVENLY TEACHING YOU GIVE US. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Hos 14:2-10; Ps 80:6,8-11,14,17 and Mk 12:28-34
One great distinctive character of Christianity is ‘Love of God’, which must be concretely expressed or manifested in ‘Love of neighbour’. These two are a summary of the Ten Commandments of God. Anything contrary to this puts a question mark on our Christianity. Or when our love of God and neighbour is not there, then we become sinners. The portion of the Gospel of Mark (Mk 12:28-34) we reflect on today is about an evident Jesus makes when asked What is the First Commandment?’ Jesus’ answer is direct and brilliant: Love of God and Love of neighbour. Jesus sums up the first three Old Testament Commandments in one-Love of God. Then he sums up the remaining seven Old Testament Commandments in the second greatest one-Love of neighbour.
If we indeed love God truly, we will have no other thing as gods to pay allegiance to and give those objects or things our hearts to. In other words, if we love God, “we shall say no more, ‘Our god’ to the work of our hands”. We will not play with the name of God if we sincerely love him, and we will honour and respect the day he gives us as his own to rest, worship and praise him. However, if we claim we love God truly, whom we cannot see, nor touch and feel, but hate our neighbour who is created in the image and likeness of the God we claim we love, then our love for God is a pretence and hypocritical (Cf. 1 John). Therefore, our love of God must go with love of neighbour.
In that sense, if I love my neighbour, I will honour and respect him/her, especially my parents and those in authority, my partner, co-worker and what have you. My love of neighbour means I should not do anything to him/her that could destroy his/her life or image or character or dignity. If my actions destroy a neighbour’s relationship either with God (the person’s spiritual life) or with fellow human beings (especially the person’s marital life), then it means I do not love the person. If I love my neighbour I will not steal or rob the person, and I will never think of telling lies or bearing false witness against the person to destroy him /her. I will never think of coveting a neighbour’s property or husband or wife if I love the person.
When we however behave and do things contrary to the above then we break God’s Laws or His Commandments. Today’s scriptures urge us to re-examine ourselves in the area of our love of God and neighbour, alongside the Ten Commandments, which Jesus summarised into two. Where we think we have not lived up to expectation, God is waiting for us to listen to and take his word today and return to him and tell him we are sorry, and he should forgive us all our iniquities.
Today is Friday in Lent. It is a day of fasting and abstinence. Do something good for someone in your family, workplace, Church, or political party. Also, present or drop what you have not spent today in the Lenten Box for the poor and the needy. Remember to go the Way of the Cross, prayerfully meditating on the 14 Stations of it. Stay blessed and may you have a restful and blissful weekend.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, FRIDAY, ON THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN, THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR, THE CROWNING WITH THORNS, THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION’ (WE PRAY FOR SORROW FOR SIN, PURITY, COURAGE, PATIENCE, AND PERSEVERANCE) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “MAY YOUR STRENGTH BE AT WORK IN US, O LORD, PERVADING OUR MINDS AND BODIES, THAT WHAT WE HAVE RECEIVED BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS SACRAMENT MAY BRING US THE FULLNESS OF REDEMPTION. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.
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