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?" Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our
God, the Lord is one; 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.' The
second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other
commandment greater than these." 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; 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." 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.
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What is the purpose
of God's law or commandments? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge
of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to
study the 613 precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic
commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as
they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the
law of God and its purpose. What does God require of us? Simply that we love as
he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God
loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and
kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is
firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God's love and truth
the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his
will. What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and
hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for
a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of
God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope
in his promises. The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new
freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of
God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart? Paul the Apostle
says: hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
Do you know the love which conquers all?
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"We love you, O
our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love
you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so
loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter,
come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips,
our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls
or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy. Give
us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as
you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love,
let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by
this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son."
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