Love of Neighbor

Today’s Gospel Text: And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 32 And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; 33 and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any question. Mark 12:28-34

Reflection: Love is the greatest commandment of all and I am sure no one will doubt that.

There are times I have often been in serious discussion and they have been individuals who have rendered the whole discussion flat by just one statement: “In the end what is important is that we love”

As if asserting that the horizontal commandment is the most important, they think that if we love one another is enough to enter into heaven. And what they say is even broadened to include the love of anyone and everyone.But in the end love no one.

In all these false assertions, the love that one practices is the love that seeks to please and compromise on the truth of God and sound doctrine.  Thus one even has to act crooked with all types of lies in order to present oneself as loving, gentle and kind.

There have been times, when I have heard experts in New Testament quoting St. Paul’s famous words on love, as if the horizontal dimension is the only important:element: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”  Rom 13:8

What one fails to learn is that St. Paul's assertions is to a community that is born out of love for God and he is preaching to a community on the aspects of brotherly love.

Then there have been some who have quoted from St John’s letter: “If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20

Here St. John in his letter is shocked about a community that is supposed to be loving God and yet not loving him enough by loving his commandment of loving one another. He sums it up well in the statement below:

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” 1 John 5:2

Hence what Jesus asserts in the gospel about loving God is prime and important. 

Prayer:  Lord, I pray that I may love thee above everything and thus be an instrument of loving my neighbor too.

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Love Jesus - Part I

Scripture/Bible:  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." 19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me." John 21:15-19

Reflection: In the scripture text of today we see Jesus getting down to preparing these disciples after a good breakfast and what better way than beginning with Simon Peter, the one who was to lead the community of faith.

When we want a change in our local community we normally want to start with the sacrifice of the poor, vulnerable and the innocents. Burn them at the stake, beat them, stretch them and bend them.

When Jesus after having himself gone through it all with victory over the cross of sin and shame, teaches Simon Peter and all generations of leaders, the secret of true leadership; “do you love me more than these?"  And if yes, then; "Feed my lambs."

This call is also in consonance with the two great commandments he taught us: Love God and love of neighbor. (Mt. 12: 28-31, 22:36-40, Mk. 12: 28-31, Lk. 10: 25-27)

In the process Jesus is clearly spelling out his agenda for the kingdom; what it means to love one’s neighbor and how to primarily do it? By feeding them with the word of God and the truth of the gospel but first love God as revealed in Jesus. 

Jesus revealed God’ love in his human body to perfection and the cross is the visible sign of that perfect love.  

The latter commandment is in no way greater than the first. Here in this action of Jesus it is clarified and made clear that the love of God as revealed in Christ Jesus is primary, necessary and of all relevance in order for one to be an instrument of love towards one’s neighbor.   

In this process one may begin with friendship love or the limited human love but it has to grow in that depth of self-sacrificing love which is made possible only in loving Jesus, because he is the perfect mirror of this love.  

Only Jesus accepts our imperfect love and sacrifice and makes it perfect with his wisdom and grace at work in us, at various stages, just the way he did it with Simon Peter at once in the three stages of questioning.

Prayer: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (vs.17) Help me abide in your love (cfr. Jn. 15: 9-10)

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us