Hosea 14:2-10 / Mark 12:28-34
Jesus talks about love
“Love your
neighbor as yourself. ”
Author
Ardis Whitman was having a hard time recovering from the death of her son. One
night her college-aged granddaughter and her granddaughter’s boyfriend took
Ardis to a nightclub. When the orchestra struck up a memory-laden song, Ardis
began to cry.
Spontaneously,
the young couple took her hands and held them in theirs. That simple gesture of
love, Ardis said later, “made God seem very close to me.” It also reminded
Ardis of something the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore said about a dear
friend who had come to visit him: “After you had taken your leave, I found
God’s footprints on my floor.”
How
loving are we toward others, especially toward our own flesh and blood?
****
“One
kind word can warm three winters.” Japanese
proverb (ML)
****
When
we read books like the "7 Habits of Highly-effective People" or
"The Joy of Living" or other inspirational books, they give very
interesting and very good pointers for life.Yet, when we think about it
carefully, the principles of life are actually very simple. It is actually what
Jesus said in today's gospel: Love God and love neighbour. Sounds simple, but
it may take a whole life-time to discover the truth of such a simple statement.
Because we tend to love things and be self-centered. Yet the season of Lent
calls us back to the love of God.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Hosea not only called his people back to
this love of God, he also proclaimed how much God loves His people even though
they turned away from Him.
We may remember that hymn of Hosea - Come back to me with all your heart,
don't let fear keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me and
living deeply our new life.
The way of life is indeed simple: Love God and neighbour. That is the way
that Jesus is teaching us.
As the 1st reading ends off - For
the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners
stumble. (SY)
