two for one

XXXI Sunday “B” Mark 12, 28-34 November 3, 2024

Usually when the scribes or pharisees come to Jesus with a question it is to try and trip Jesus up. They aren’t interested in finding anything out. The scribe in the reading today seems to be an exception. He genuinely wants to know what is the first and most important commandment. Jesus doesn’t respond by giving a new commandment; both of the commandments that Jesus gives can be found in the Hebrew Scriptures. The first commandment to love God can be found in Deuteronomy and the second to love you neighbor as yourself is found in Leviticus. The two commandments might not be new, but there is one thing that is new. In the two commandments that Jesus gives to scribe Jesus show how the two commandemtns are interconnected in radical sense. Love of God is illusory if it does not show forth in love of neighbor, and love of neighbor could just be a type of self-love if it does not based in the love of God. As I was reflecting on the scripture this past week I thought of how I love God with my whole heart and soul, but then I tried to think of how I show that I love God. The best example I could think of was gratefulness. Being grateful to God for a beautiful sunset, a wonderful meal, an opportunity to do something new or different. But it is hard for me to think of examples of just loving God for God’s sake. I’m not like St. Teresa of Avila who could spend hours in ecstasy she was so in love with God. That isn’t me. No for me the best way for me to express my love for God is by loving other people. It is hard for me to hug God, but it is easy to hug all of you. So Jesus’ answer to the scribe makes all the sense in the world to me. I love God by loving other people. In loving others I believe that I am loving God. But Jesus adds our motivation in loving our neighbor. We don’t love others because they do nice things for us, or because we like the way they think. No we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. How do I love myself? We are created in the image and likeness of God. So as we love ourselves we are loving God and we love one another not because it is a good thing to do or not because we might get something out of it. No, we love others because we see the presence of God in them as well. St Francis De Sales says, “To have a Christian love for our neighbors is to love God in them, or them in God; it is to cherish God alone for God’s own sake, and God’s creatures for love of God.” Yesterday we celebrated the dia de los muertos. We ‘remembered’ our loved ones who have been taken from us. The most important thing we can remember is the love we have for them and the love we received from them. In this month of November we will continue to remember their love. One day each one of us will be gone may we be remembered not for some great accomplishment or who much money we made, but rather may we be remembered by how much we have loved: Both our neighbor and our God.