Friday 20th
March 2020. Read Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 81 and Mark 12:28-34.
_“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 12:34.)*_
Reading through the Gospels, we are
not used to seeing Jesus commend the scribes and Pharisees but today we hear
Jesus say to a Scribe that he is not far from the kingdom of God. So what is
that thing that can make us close to heaven? It is our ability to make love a
priority in our lives.
As Jesus told the Scribe, the first
and most important of all the commandments is: “To love God with all your
heart, soul and mind” and “to love your neighbour as yourself.” The truth is that
once we are committed to loving God and our neighbours as ourselves, we cannot
sin.
How? Loving God demands that we keep
the first three commandments and loving our neighbour entails keeping the
remaining seven. If we love our neighbours as ourselves, we would obey our
parents, we not kill or steal or commit adultery, we would not lie or covert our
neighbour’s goods or spouse. Loving God demands that we do not serve other
gods; that we keep His name holy and we honour the Sabbath day.
The prophet Hosea speaks to us today
in our first reading: “Return to the Lord your God” that is to say, leave your
idols, stop worshipping false gods and come back to God. Has the love of God
died in your heart? Are you finding it very difficult to pray? Do you consider
time spent in church as wasted? These are clear signs that your heart has found
another love and if you check very well, you have started bowing to other gods
such as money, position, prestige, pleasure, achievement and the likes.
Love is not a feeling, it is a
decision. Love is a sacrifice. Jesus praised the Scribe because he understood
that: “to love our neighbour as ourselves is much more than all whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices.” What you love is what you sacrifice for.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, break my
heart of stone so that I can love you and my neighbours better. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 3rd week of Lent. Bible
Study: Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 81 and Mark 12:28-34)
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