In the Gospel of today (Mark 12, 28b-34), one of the Scribes, namely, one of the most learned in the context of the Jewish law, approached Jesus and demanded an answer from him to the question: Which is the greatest commandment of the law? Jesus gave the best and shortest possible summary to the question of the greatest commandment as follows: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”
Jesus confirmed further that “there is no other commandment greater than these.” The love of God and neighbour, according to the Scripture is the highest form of duty in the Jewish religion and further confirmed as such by Jesus’ reply to the question about the greatest commandment. I also ask what it means to love God with all my heart, all my soul and with all my mind and with all my strength.
To Adore
First, to love is to adore. To adore God is to acknowledge his greatness and our existence in God. St Paul affirms that God is the one in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17, 28). To love God is to acknowledge that he is the one in whom we live. It is an act of faith and trust in his divine providence and in his own love for us. Loving God is an act of abandonment to his plans for us. God loves us beyond the boundaries of our status as friends or enemies, as sinners or righteous people. He teaches us that our perfection lies in transcending and transforming the binaries that limit our love and adoration for him and others.
Second, knowing the commandment of God is the first stage to wisdom. Without knowledge of God, it may be difficult to serve God and to obey his commandments. However, God is one who is beyond every human knowledge. What it means is that in loving God, we submit our whole life to the mystery of life. In contemplation of all that exists and our own existence. Knowing God also implies living a life of contemplation. And thanksgiving for our life and a prayerful supplication for all that we need.
Third, Christian love is about what God has done for love of us and its implication, regarding the meaning and source of what we are to do with what flows from it. The epistle of John says, “We love because God loved us first” (1 Jn 4, 19). On this note, we have to remember that Jesus’ last commandment to his disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you” (Jn 15,9). “Just as I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13, 34). We can only love perfectly by living in God’s own love. And, pondering what it means for our existence as human beings in the love of others. Jesus’ commandment is to dwell in his love, to make it real. Dwelling in God’s love means to allow our faith, and profession of faith and worship, to transform us so that we in our turn love others and do unto them as one of our kind, irrespective of socio-religious and cultural affiliation.
Love in Action
Loving means sharing with loved ones and is shown in action. Words can be hollow unless they are incarnated in life, just as the love of the Father is incarnated in Jesus (John 3:16). We love through service to others, patiently accompanying those in need of help. And faithfulness to our spouse and family even when it is difficult. Also, by holding firm to our promises. Dealing gently with the weak and lowly and knowing that we live in one universe with all other existence. Love implies giving space for the other to grow and flourish. When we understand that God is the one in whom we live and move and have our being, then we can love others and work together to achieve God’s purpose. We give ourselves space to grow and make mistakes and also understand others in their own weakness. But then, we bring our failures as part of our being and present them to God in adoration for healing.
In proposing the above, one should not be oblivious of the difficulties that could be encountered in these options. Irrespective of the challenges that we encounter in loving, among other benefits, our hearts stay healthy and strong when we adore God and serve others. And above all, we are assured of our closeness to the kingdom of God.
