One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mk 12:28-34)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030824.cfm
It’s always risky asking Jesus questions . . . you usually get more than you bargained for. Which is the first of all the commandments? Jesus takes two verses from different books of the Bible and puts them together . . . love God and love neighbor. Loving God is a cinch . . . it’s the loving neighbor part that trips us up! Looks like we’re going to be working on love of neighbor not only every day of Lent but for the rest of our lives!
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Friday, Week III, Lent
