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.” - Mark 12:28-30
All of Jesus' teachings can be summed up in today's Gospel reading: "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." When we love God fully, we can't help but love everyone else – even the "neighbors" who make our lives difficult.
Think of the person you love the most. Is it the one who's the easiest to serve? Do you enjoy doing good deeds for him or her more than for anyone else? This generous love is a reflection of your love for God.
Now think of the person you love the least. Is it someone you refuse to serve because of how he or she has hurt you? This is also a reflection of your love – or lack of it – for God.
Jesus never said that we have to enjoy doing good to our enemies. Hey, he didn't like being whipped and manhandled and jabbed and mocked and crucified, but that didn't stop him from offering himself as a sacrifice for you and for me and for the people we dislike. Since he did that for us, we can at least do small deeds of goodness that are no fun to do?
Reflection taken from Good News Reflections.
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