A Hierarchy of Love

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12:28B-34.

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
'He is One and there is no other than he.'
And 'to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself'
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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Reflection

The question which among the commandments tells us two things: one, that there are many commandments; and two, among these stands one that precedes all others. The Jews follow the Mosaic Law which contains 613 commandments that dictate on morals, worship, relationships, and even their diet. It was understandable that they should wonder which of these is the most important.

But life is not just about rules and procedures. To live is to live for something. True Christian discipleship possess meaning and purpose which shapes the whole of life. For Jesus, the main meaning of life, of the law, of discipleship, is a two-sided expression of love - the love of God and neighbor. Love shapes the kingdom of God.

There is no greater commandment than the command to love. Love sits at the highest throne in the kingdom. It gives the Christian his identity. It gives the law and commandments its spirit.

Sight for sight

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:46-52.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

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Reflection

Bartimaeus was physically blind but he believed in Jesus. Though blind, he saw with the eyes of faith. His was a faith that was beyond superficial. For despite having others trying to silence the voice of his faith, he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Deprived of sight, he put everything in his voice. We can say that he put voice to his faith, not only audibly but above all in fighting against all odds just to reach Jesus.

Jesus was impressed by this. Having heard the faint call, Jesus answered back with a call. The cry for help was answered with an invitation to come. For most of us, faith awakens in dire situations; but always for God, it begins when He calls and invites us. Taking from His Father’s heart, Jesus asks, “what do you want me to do for you?”

Bartimaeus responds from the depths of his heart. He revealed to Jesus what he wanted the most - the gift of sight. Jesus opened his eyes by telling him that his eyes of faith opened his eyes of sight. Faith does not only gives us sight in the darkest of moments but in the light of Christ, it allows us to redirect our journey from our own with that of Jesus like Bartimaeus who started following Him after he regained his sight.

Service Above All

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:35-45.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 
He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?" 
They answered him, "Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." 
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. 
Can you drink the cup that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 
They said to him, "We can." 
Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared." 
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. 
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt. 
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 
For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

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Reflection

Jesus continues to overturn ideas about the Kingdom. “It shall not be so among you.” He contrasts the way Gentiles exercise authority with the ideals of the Kingdom. How is authority exercised in the Kingdom of God? We look to Jesus who incarnates these ideals: "for the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The Kingdom is hierarchical not by way of merit or power, but rather in the level of service offered to other people. Here we have a service of authority, where authority is exercised with the primary aim of serving others. This giving of one's self in service is the hallmark of the Kingdom and exemplified by Jesus on the cross. It is not only an example but also an invitation, even a plea, that in the Christian community each member is at the service of all.

While people admire power and honor, Christians are to exemplify service and self-giving. This is how the Kingdom contrasts the world we live today.