Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34
A scribe asks Jesus - what's the first of all the commandments? Jesus, in his usual manner, gives two, not one: love God, love neighbor. In reality these two commandments cannot be separated; they form one cohesive whole. For one cannot love God without loving one's neighbor, and to love one's neighbor means loving everyone - one's enemies as well as one's family and friends, to love the stranger as well as one familiar to us.
God does not need sacrifices, temples and churches, ornate furnishings for elaborate liturgies. None of this shows one's love for God. Very often these are acts of the ego rather than acts of devotion. But to love and show mercy to others is what represents love for God, or rather our attempt to bring God's love and mercy to the world in the same way that Jesus himself had done - providing healing for those ailing, liberation from those possessed by their demons, nourishment for those hungry in body and soul.
Lent is a season of focus for us to become more dedicated to this central tenet of Christian living - to love God by loving other people. We fast in order to identify with the needs of the poor. The fast inspires us to almsgiving and direct care of others. And our prayer is to become more loving in imitation of the Lord Jesus, that our hearts grow more merciful each day, more expansive in our care for others in our world today.
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