Thursday, June 02, 2016
9th Week in
Ordinary Time
1st Reading: 2 Tm 2: 8-15
Gospel: Mk 12:28–34
One of the teachers of the Law came up to Jesus and asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”
Jesus answered, “The first is: Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes another one: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”
The teacher of the Law said to him, “Well spoken, Master; you are right when you say that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”
Jesus approved this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
When Jesus said that there is no commandment greater than love of God and neighbor, he was not only answering the query of a Teacher of the Law about the greatest commandment. Jesus was also challenging the religiosity of their times that gave undue priority to sacrificial offerings despite Scripture passages cautioning against it. From the Book of the Prophet Hosea we read: “For it is love that I desire, and not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6). Isaiah wrote: “What care I for the number of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I have had enough of whole burnt rams and fat of fatlings; in the blood of calves, lambs and goats I find no pleasure” (Isaiah 1:11).
The Teacher of the Law was aware of the above-mentioned passages. That’s why he could not but approve Jesus’ answer in its entirety. The approval was significant, at least to the crowd listening to their conversation, because Teachers of the Law enjoyed great respect in society. Judaism required every Israelite to have personal acquaintance with the Law. Large number of Jews would sit at the feet of a Teacher of the Law to learn from him. He could exact absolute respect and reverence from his pupils. It was even taught that “Respect to a teacher should exceed respect for a father, for both father and son owe respect to a teacher” -Kerithoth 6.9 (from biblehistory.com).
Hearing the approval of the Teacher of the Law Jesus declared him to be not far from the kingdom. But not being far from the kingdom is never good enough since the aim is to be inside it. Something was lacking in him. One thing is to approve Jesus’ teaching, putting it into action is another! – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
May comment ka ba sa column ni Father Dan? May tanong ka ba sa kanya?
I-type ang BANDERA
REACT <message/ name/age/address> at i-send sa 4467.