FRIDAY IN THE 3RD WEEK OF LENT READINGS AND COMMENTARIES:
“WHICH IS THE FIRST OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS”
(Mk 12:28–34).
FRIDAY IN THE 3RD WEEK OF LENT
MASS READINGS
READING I
Hos 14:2–10
Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the Lord; Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the Lord, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; they shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. “I am like a verdant cypress tree” because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the Lord, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Repent, says the Lord, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
GOSPEL
Mk 12:28–34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. 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.” 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.
GOSPEL COMMENTARY
God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us discern good from evil and carry out the good. In today’s Gospel, Jesus sums up God’s commandments with the following words:
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Like anyone else, God asks us for a love which is total. If we ourselves are not content with a superficial, half-hearted, and inconstant love, so is God.
- A love which is total and authentic requires loving with one’s ALL, with one’s ENTIRE heart, soul, mind and strength, and not just a part of it.
- Love for God is also inseparable from love for our neighbor such that this is the thermometer of the authenticity and totality of our love for God, the consequence and the result of our love for God. The latter cannot exist without the former and vice-versa.
- Moreover, this love for our neighbor must be the same love with which we love ourselves. This is the guideline of our love for our neighbor. When we love by this manner, we are “imitators of our Lord” Jesus Christ (cfr. 1 Thes 1:5c–10), who taught us to love others “as I have loved you (Jn: 13:34-35)”.
Lent is a time to return to God and reciprocate His Love for us. It is not just a period to offer sacrifices but above all the conversion, sincerity and return of our heart to God , and from which will arise a loving identification of our will with God’s will, a renewed life of prayer, penance and works of mercy. The Law of Christ is love of God and neighbor. Saint Bernard says:
- “Love is sufficient by itself, it satisfies by itself and for its sake. Its merit and its reward are identified with itself. Love does not require any motive other than itself, nor does it require any profit; its fruit consists in its very practice. I love because I love, I love to love. Love is a great thing, provided that it resorts to its beginning and origin, provided that its source always returns and is a continuous emanation of it“ (Sermon 83) .
- That source is none other than God. We constantly find in our lives occasions to manifest our love for God and our neighbor. We should not wait for extraordinary occasions to love. We have to learn to love in our ordinary life: through the spirit of service, with a job well done, with a friendly conversation, with serenity in difficult moments, thanking God and neighbor for the gifts we have received from Him.
Let us end our commentary with the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “In the “Our Father” we ask that his name be hallowed, that his kingdom come, that his will be done. It is first and foremost God’s primacy that we must recover in our world and in our life, because it is this primacy that enables us to discover the truth of what we are, and it is in knowing and following God’s will that we find our own good; giving time and space to God, so that he may be the vital centre of our existence.”
Let us ask the help of Our Lady so that like her, we too may have a total and authentic love towards God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, manifested as well in our love for our neighbor. “I love you, God, my strength! (Psalm 17)”
Stay safe and God bless, Fr. Rolly Arjonillo
SEE AS WELL:
A REVIEW SUMMARY OF THE 1ST COMMANDMENT: MEANING, SCOPE, AND SINS AGAINST IT in https://catholicsstrivingforholiness.org/summaries-of-catholic-teaching-topic-31-the-first-commandment/
VIDEO COMMENTARY
TOPIC: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID “I LOVE YOU” TO YOUR PARENT, CHILD, SIBLING OR SPOUSE?
No words are ever as powerful as saying “I love you.” But love cannot be given or received if three important words are not said as often – “I am sorry.” In today’s first reading, the prophet Hosea calls the people to repent, to say sorry to God. Hosea tells them that their present difficulties are due to their being far from God. They need to repent and love God faithfully. In the gospel reading, Jesus summarizes the whole Mosaic Law into two – Loving God and loving neighbor.[Thank you to Dennis E. Mannering for the story used which comes from Do It Now]
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