Love Is At The Center Of It All

Friday, July 29, 2011

Reading: Mark 12:28-34

Reflection: What an amazing statement made by this teacher of the law. In fact, after all of His confrontation with the other leaders and lack of understanding by His own disciples, the response of this man to Jesus' statement must have been refreshing. Did you notice what the man said? He stated, in essence, that loving God and loving others is of more importance (one could say more central) than all the ceremonial rituals in the world (burnt offerings and sacrifices). In other words, at the center of Christian faith is not religious ceremonies, rules or moral standards. That's not to say that those things are unimportant...they are. However, they are not of primary importance. Once can be morally right in the sight of all, religious in every way, and seek to follow virtually every rule of faith, but if they do not love God and neighbor, they have missed the point. You see, we are not to love God in order to find the motivation to fulfill the rules...that makes the rules central. We are to fulfill the rules because they purify our hearts, shape our thinking and remove obstacles so that we might love God and others more fully. So, let's make sure we keep love at the center of all we do...for without it we are not nearly as close to the kingdom as we might think.