Simply Love
"You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12:34)
"You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12:34)
If you asked most Catholics which topic best describes the theme of the season of Lent, "sin" would probably be one of your top three answers. This period of preparation for our celebration of Holy Week and Easter is characterized by an awareness of our own sins and making a firm resolve to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
In today’s Gospel, a scribe approaches Jesus to ask what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds by quoting two notable Old Testament texts, the Shema from Deuteronomy 6 (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength”), and Leviticus 19 (“Love your neighbor as yourself”). Jesus teaches the scribe a very important lesson here: the remedy for sin is love. While living a life of discipleship is in no way easy, it is simple: just love.
The first letter of St. John tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and as his beloved sons and daughters, we are challenged to imitate that love in our relationship with him and in our relationships among our brothers and sisters. All God knows how to do is love, and the same should be said about us. The Lenten season is meant to be a time to reevaluate how we are doing in that task and to reform those places in our own hearts where God’s love has not taken root. When we do, we will surely not be far from the kingdom of God.
In what areas of my life today can I better love God by loving my neighbor?
Lord, may I love you today with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole mind, and with all my strength. Amen.
Vincent Washburn is a seminarian from St. Michael the Archangel in Hudson. After attending Pasco-Hernando State College, he transferred to USF Tampa in 2018 and graduated in May 2020 with a degree in Psychology. He was involved at his parish for many years as a volunteer before joining the staff in 2018 as the youth minister; eventually becoming responsible for Liturgical Ministries and their outreach to the sick and homebound. His hobbies include watching movies and TV, reading, playing piano, exercising, and hanging out with friends.
While the idea of priesthood came to mind as a child, he seriously began discerning the possibility of a vocation during his transition from high school to college. Seeing God work through the humanity of the priesthood led him to realize that God could very well be calling him too. He is now in Second Configuration at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, FL.
To sign up to receive the Be Courageous Daily Reflections to your inbox, click the link below.
