A reading from the gospel according to Mark 12:28B-34

28B One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
29 Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
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.”
32 The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’
33 And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Reflection: Love and the Kingdom of God

Jesus summarizes the whole law and whole bible into one word: love. If we have it, nothing more is needed. If we don’t have it, nothing else matters.

To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is to always remember Him and to do his will every moment of our life. We show fondness for Him by having constant conversations with Him through prayers, singing praises to him, reading the scriptures and maintaining a joyful attitude all the time.

As Saint Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Indeed, everything is nothing without love and nothing comes into existence without God. He loves us unconditionally. It is but proper that we love Him with our whole being.

To love others as we love ourselves means to treat them as we treat ourselves, to take care of them as we take care of ourselves and to work for their growth even we work for our own.

Loving God and neighbor is much easier said than done. Therefore, it must be put into practice for its value to be more appreciated. In the last verse of the gospel above, Jesus tells the scribe that he is not far from the Kingdom of God. Why did He say that instead of telling the scribe that he is in the Kingdom? It could be because the scribe has mentally grasped the meaning of love but he has yet to put it into practice.

Be that as it may, we appreciate the fact that the scribe, an expert of the Law, asked an important question although his motive may just be to test Jesus. By asking, Jesus was able to give an answer that benefits all generations who have the same question.

Understanding the real meaning of Love brings us near the Kingdom of God but having love in our hearts brings us into the Kingdom of God. We pray that we not only understand the meaning of love but more importantly, to put it into practice.

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In the gospel passage above, we read the profound teaching where Jesus distills the essence of the law into two commandments that embody the heart of God’s desire for humanity. When a scribe asks Jesus which commandment is the most important, Jesus responds, “The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

This passage invites us to consider the transformative power of love in our lives and in the world around us. Jesus emphasizes that our primary allegiance is to God, calling us to love God with every aspect of our being. This love is not a passive affection but an active commitment that shapes our values, decisions, and actions.

But Jesus does not stop there. He intertwines our love for God with the command to love our neighbor as ourselves, revealing that our relationship with God is reflected in how we treat others. This reciprocal love challenges us to look beyond our own needs and desires, to see the dignity, worth, and needs of those around us.

In a world where division and self-interest often prevail, this message of radical love is both counter-cultural and deeply needed. It calls us to break down walls of separation, to act with kindness and compassion, and to seek the welfare of our community. Loving our neighbor as ourselves means recognizing that we are all connected, that the well-being of one affects the well-being of all.

Let us be inspired to live out these commandments, not as burdensome obligations, but as the path to true freedom and joy. By loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves, we participate in the unfolding of God’s kingdom, a kingdom built on the unshakeable foundation of love.

Go here to read related reflection on Love of God and neighbor.