Reading 1
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."
Gospel
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.
Reflection
In today’s Gospel, we have a rare moment of agreement between Jesus and a scribe. To love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, is everything.
Because this scribe answers with understanding, Jesus says that he is “not far from the Kingdom of God.” What does this mean? And what does it mean to understand the greatest commandment?
To understand the greatest commandment is to do more than rattle off the words—it is to experience it and live it. The scribe says loving God and neighbor “is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” He does not fall into the common trap of other scribes and pharisees and assume that ritual regulations are all it takes to do one’s duty and worship God. His answer shows that he regards love of God and neighbor as something deeper than burnt offerings and sacrifices. Loving God with heart, mind, and strength is to love God with one’s whole life and being—and to do so includes loving other people.
If we understand this commandment and seek to live it well, Jesus says that we are “not far from the Kingdom of God.” In our first reading, when Moses first proclaims this commandment, he enjoins the people to hear and observe his words “and thus have long life… that you may grow and prosper the more...” We can see that milk and honey are not simply the reward for keeping the commandment. Rather, Moses tells us to “take to heart” these words and thus be in keeping with the promise. Living in this true love is what it means to prosper and live in a land “flowing with milk and honey.”
Jesus does not tell the scribe that he is near the Kingdom of God because he got the answer right. The scribe’s understanding of the centrality and totality of loving God and neighbor brings him closer to the Kingdom. Jesus’s words are an observation, not a reward. Paradise is unadulterated love, and to keep this great commandment is to be as close as we can to paradise in this life. Let us strive to regard love of God and neighbor as being more important than anything else—and live accordingly—so that we too can taste Heaven and live “not far from the Kingdom.”
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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