Every day of Lent, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
The question of which commandment ranked first among them all was a hotly debated topic among rabbis, scribes, and other students of God’s Law in the time of Jesus. It is no surprise, then, that a scribe would turn to Jesus and ask, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus responds with a powerful summary, linking love of God and love of neighbor as inseparable. Yet he is clear about their order. He says: “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.”
From this love of God flows the love we are commanded to have for one another. But without the firm foundation of loving God above all else, the second great commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves—can become distorted or even disappear altogether.
So the question for us becomes this: How do we place God first among our many loves, while still loving our neighbor as ourselves?