November 3, 2024

Mark 12:28a-34

In today’s reading, Jesus tells us in which direction the Kingdom of God lies and how to get close to it.  The Kingdom of God has everything to do with love – single-minded, wholehearted love of God, and likewise love for our fellow human beings who are “as ourselves,” part of one great family of God. The reading tells us that we should not look to religious formalities in and of themselves for the Kingdom of God. In this reading, the scribe refers to these as “burnt offerings and sacrifices,” the religious practices of the Jewish people at the time. For us in modern times, it means taking religious practices as guarantees of something, such as a belief that those who attend church services are automatically “getting into heaven.” Religious practices point us to a spiritual reality and state of mind, and bind us together with our fellow travelers –that is their main reason for being. They also comfort us, which is a story for another day.

In this reading, more important than external religious practices are the two main commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, understanding, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  And when Jesus saw that the scribe answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”  This so stunned the listeners that “no one dared ask him any more questions.” 

This is not to say that it is easy to apply all our heart, soul, mind, understanding and strength to love of God and to always love our neighbor, but this is the path to being near to the Kingdom of God spiritually.  Let us reflect on this today.

Amen.