REFLECTIONS TODAY
Perhaps, it is effortless to love God with a bit of our heart, with a smidgen of our soul, with a fragment of our mind, and with an ounce of our strength. But to love God with our all is a whole different matter.
It is easy to be happy, to glorify God, and to be grateful to him when things are going well. But how about when things do not turn out the way we want them to be, when our prayers are left unanswered, or when our expectations are not met?
To love God with all our heart also means to love him at all times—to love him even when he seems so distant, to wait for his answers even when he gives no clues, to believe in his grand design even when the world seems to be getting darker, to carry on even when the weight of life’s burden gets heavier, to love even if there are no promises of a comfortable life.
Gospel • Mark 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.
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2026,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.