Word to the Wise
Thursday, June 3, 2010 - St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, martyrs
[2 Timothy 2:8-15 and Mark 12:28-34]The scribe said to [Jesus], "Well said, Teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to ove him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and 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." [Gospel of Mark]
When one is faced with more than 600 precepts in a code of law, one naturally begins to wonder if any of them are more important than others. How does one prioritize so as to be able to be faithful? The scribe in this incident asks Jesus this question. Jesus responds with two of the precepts from the Torah which exceed all the others. When the scribe shows that he shares those priorities, he receives very high praise from Jesus: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God!" What are the two precepts? The scribe sums them up very well in the quote above: Love of God and neighbor! Again and again in the New Testament, we are told that love of God and neighbor are indivisible. One cannot have one side of the coin without the other. Nor may one substitute expressions such as "burnt offerings" or "good deeds" for love. Those expressions are signs of love but can become empty actions without that love which should motivate them. It is when we realize the significance of the kind of love that is expressed in the two most important precepts of "the Law," and express that significance in our daily lives that we are close to the Kingdom of God. Scribes were expected to be experts in those 600+ precepts. The one in the gospel today showed that he knew what was most important. We can learn from him. AMEN
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