4Th JUNE. THURSDAY IN WEEK 9

READINGS

1. Tobit 6-8

2. Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34

REFLECTION

The readings today are calling each one of us to reflect about true love. The gospel today links love with commandment. Normally people associate what we call love  a reciprocal response of one person to another. Nevertheless, what is called love can turn out to be a cloak for lust, in contrast the noble purpose of love is really expressed in the first reading explaining Tobias and Sarah in their marriage. Making our meditation on the virtue of love, true love is a giving of self without reciprocity. True love reaches out  to others and loves them for themselves( to love a person the way he/she is regardless of his/ her qualities) Such love is more than any burnt offering or sacrifice.

From the Gospel we hear Jesus being asked  a number of  questions that are vital to our relationship with God. One of such questions are at the beginning of today's gospel. A Jewish scribe comes up to Jesus and asks him, "  Which is the first of the commandments?" At that time there were a lot of rules and prescriptions that sometimes brought confusion about what was the greatest among them.Jesus in responding to the question posed to him he gives a complementary answer concerning the law of love. First being to love God with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength and the second being to love our neighbor as ourselves. In that way Jesus shows that these two commandments are inseparable. We cannot love God without loving our neighbor and love neighbor without loving God. However, the two commandments are not on the same level. One is the first and the other is the second. It is the love of God that has to be primary love in lives. Being in love of God, the same love of God will flow to those whom God loves. We become stronger in the love of God when our faith and hope in God are strengthened. These are essentials for good relationship with God,and for being united with him. We are empowered to remain in the love of God through the gift of the holy spirit.