As we approach the end of the liturgical year of the Church, the Word of God Reveals the core and foundation of our Christian life. Jesus teaches the scribe in the Gospel of Mark (Mk 12:28-34) about the two greatest commandments. A scribe is a scholar and interpreter of the law. He asks Jesus about the first of all the commandments. The question is a much debated issue among the scholars. He is practically asking Jesus about the most central, basic and key to all the laws. Jewish law includes six hundred thirteen (613) commandments. Three hundred sixty-five (365) are prohibitions and two hundred forty-eight (248) are positive commandments. An ordinary Jew would have difficulty to comply all these Commandments. Jesus goes to the core of the Law and begins with the Shema which is the cornerstone of the Jewish worship. It is a prayer that every Jew knows by heart. It says: “Hear, O Israel! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is a call to love God with all that we are. To fall in love with God and submit ourselves totally to Him who is our Father and to learn to love the way He loves. It is to give our undivided loyalty of mind, spirit and will to God who is our supreme good, absolute treasure and essential in life. In Greek, the word love is agape love which is working for the well being of others. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. These two great commandments are inseparable. They are like two sides of the same coin. Who is our neighbor? In Leviticus 19:18, the neighbor for the Jews is the fellow Jew. Jesus expands the concept of the neighbor. For Him, the neighbor is anyone, every member of the human race transcending all barriers. He even calls us to love our enemies and to pray for our persecutors. The real test of love is to love those who are unlovable. Jesus told the scribe who showed understanding that he is not far from the kingdom of God. He challenges the scribe to go further and become His follower. It is because Jesus is the kingdom of God in person. He inaugurates the kingdom of God. His cross is the bridge that carries us to the kingdom. The Church is the visible sign of the kingdom today. We are all called to be builders of the kingdom of God Here and now. It is a kingdom of peace, justice, love, compassion, mercy, sharing and truth. When we do that, we are truly citizens of the kingdom.
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT
