31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 12:28-34
“The Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength”. This is the most important commandment. This is more than a commandment. This is the desire of God who loves us and wants to relate to us so that we can be fully alive. This is the foundation for a personal relationship between God and ourselves. We must relate to God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The heart represents the emotional and volitional aspects of love. The soul encompasses the spiritual essence of a person. The mind emphasizes the intellectual dimension of faith. The strength refers to the physical and practical manifestation of love. This comprensive approach asks for a complete dedication of oneself to God, leaving no part of one’s being untouched by this love. His love must touch every part of our existence. It also suggests that faith should not be compartmentalized but should permeate every aspect of life – emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical. This becomes a way of life. This becomes the life. Then, it has the potential to transform one’s entire worldview and way of life, as everything becomes oriented towards loving and serving God. Let’s reflect: What does it mean to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and how does that affect our daily lives?
Don Giorgio