LENT REFLECTION

Mk 12 28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and
seeing that he answered them well, he 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 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.” 32Then
the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and
besides him there is no other’; 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,’—this
is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus
saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Our Lord Jesus Christ asks of us to love God with every bit and piece of our entire being, with our every
heartbeat, with our every breath. He gave us a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved
you” (Jn 13:34).

Why do we have to love? Because that is who we are. That’s how we come into this world wired. Neuro-
science establishes this. When we love, and are loved, we thrive and live full lives. When we are hated

and when we hate, we shrivel and become mere shadows of ourselves. But above all, that is God’s will
for us. It is God’s plan for our salvation, for our happiness.
The anthropology of evolution shows that we came to understand early on, that by living in herds, in
communities, by cooperating, we stood a better chance of survival. Animals and birds know this all too
well. They live in herds and flocks. Love is therefore a law of nature. We therefore live in three necessary
societies: family, polity, and the Church. Man is by nature social, and thrives not alone but in society.
After Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, telling them that God is God of the living and those who die
still live (Mk 12:18-27), it is now the turn for a scribe, who approaches and asks which commandment
is the first of all. He wants one commandment. But Jesus reminds Him of the double commandment –
love of God and neighbour, and he agrees. He conflates “with all your soul and with all your mind” into
“with all your understanding”. We are to love God with all our faculties; with all our five senses, with
all our will and memory, with all our liberty, with all we have and possess; as St Ignatius used to pray.
This love of God and neighbour is perfect freedom; is personal liberation. It gives the deepest joy ever.