Hosea 14: 2-10
Mark 12:28-34
‘One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put this question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel. the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind, and with all your strength.’
heart
soul
mind
strength
It’s in the person of Jesus that we see what this commandment means. As we journey with Jesus towards Jerusalem we will see the depth of his love and just how much his heart, soul, mind and strength are focused on his Father.
Whenever I hear these verses from Mark I think of words I read by Sr Joan Chittister osb:
To live a religious life takes all the life we have.
To live a religious life takes the heart of a hermit,
the soul of a mountain climber,
the eyes of a lover,
the hands of a healer,
and the mind of a rabbi.
What would it mean for you to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?