You Are Not Far From The Kingdom Of GOD

"A teacher of the law had been listening to this discussion and admired how JESUS answered them.  So he came up and asked HIM, 'Which commandment is the first of all?'

JESUS answered, 'The first is: Hear, Israel!  The LORD, our GOD, is One LORD; and you shall love the LORD, your GOD, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.  And after this comes a second commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these two.'

The teacher of the law said to HIM, 'Well spoken, Master, you are right when you say that HE is one, and there is no other besides HIM.  To love HIM with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'

JESUS approved this answer and said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of GOD.'  And after that, no one dared to ask HIM any more questions." - Mark 12:28-34

 

(You shall love the LORD, your GOD.  This first commandment is not among the Ten Commandments of Moses, which only speak of "serving GOD."  We do read it in Deuteronomy 6:4.

To love GOD is not a commandment like others, because the commandments show specific actions that should be undertaken or avoided, i.e., you shall rest on the day of the LORD, or you shall not commit adultery.  On the other hand, when it comes to loving GOD there is no limit.  Nevertheless, it is necessary to teach the commandments of the Scriptures [especially the Ten Commandments of Moses] to children and unscrupulous persons.  Paul says, "The law was not intended for the good, but for those who do evil" [1 Timothy 1:9].

It is the reason why the love of GOD is not presented in the New Testament as a commandment, but as the fruit of the Spirit that GOD gives to HIS sons and daughters: Romans 8, 15 and 22.  GOD is the first to be loved [Matthew 6:9-10; 1 John 4:17] most especially in the person of HIS Son: 2 Corinthians 5:16; 1 Peter 1:8.  There is no  authentic love of neighbor without the love of GOD: 1 John 5:2.

You shall love the LORD, with all your heart.  You shall love HIM more than you love your loved ones.  You shall long for HIM, you shall forget yourself so that, in everything, you search for what HE wants most from you.

You shall love the LORD, with all your mind.   You shall devote the best of your intelligence to knowing HIM.  Looking into your own life, you shall understand how the kingdom of GOD is coming through world and daily events.  Praying and reading the Scriptures regularly, you shall ask GOD to give you HIS own Spirit so that you may understand HIM better.

You shall love the LORD with all your strength.  Since you are very weak in this, you shall ask for HIS help and strive to unite with the true servants of GOD, using the means that the Church makes available to you.

The commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself comes second, because it cannot be understood or fulfilled without love of GOD.  For GOD asks for more than solidarity with one's neighbor, or concern for those who are suffering.  We should make an effort to look at our brothers and sisters in the same way that the FATHER does.  We should give them what the FATHER wants for them.  Among so many good things we could do for our neighbor, we should select those that the Holy Spirit inspires us to do.  All this requires that we first know and love GOD.)

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