The World Needs Love
In today’s gospel a scribe asks Jesus a question. Unlike other times when Jesus is asked a question, this is not a question to trap him. It is a good question.
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Where do we begin? It is not easy to follow 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.”
Do you love God with all you have and are? Do you love God with your whole being? Or is there something you are holding back on?
Why would we want to hold back?
Maybe there is some part of our life that we like just the way it is but it is not in accord with God’s Will. If you love God, you will hand it over to him.
God does not hold anything back “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”
God gave his only Son to save us from our sins. Jesus died for us. The only proper response is to give all we have back to him.
To love God is to love what He creates. Hence, the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor.” Just as God created us, He created our neighbor.
Is it always easy to love our neighbor?
No. Maybe you have a neighbor who plays loud and obnoxious music. Maybe you have a neighbor who yells obscenities at you. Maybe you know they live a lifestyle that is not in keeping with the Commandments.
What are you to do?
You must love them. Loving them does not mean ignoring their sins. In fact, God calls us to help others be aware of their sins (see Ezekiel 3:17-21) while also working on our own sins (see Matthew 7:1-5).
Loving our neighbor is much bigger than just the person next door. Loving our neighbor means loving every person in the world. It is a tall task. It is not an easy task.
For instance, yesterday (March 12, 2026) there were two terrorist attacks in the United States. One was at Old Dominion University in Virginia. The perpetuator had previously served time in prison for supporting ISIS. His attack was against an ROTC class. Could this attack be in response to U.S. attacks on Iran? I do not know. If it is, it shows that violence brings more violence. Hate brings more hate.
The second attack was on a Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The fact that the place was a Jewish synagogue leads us to wonder if this attack was in response to Israel’s present role in the attacks in the Middle East.
The answer to that seems to be yes. I read a report this morning that says that ten days ago the perpetuator lost several family members in an attack in Lebanon.
Instead of rushing to condemn him (remember Jesus does not come to condemn), we would do well to think of the hurt he was feeling. What darkness did this place in his heart? His hurt is real. His hurt does not justify what he did but it does put it in a different light. Was he even in his right mind or had his grief taken over him? I think of Jesus’ last words on the Cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
If we want the violence to stop, we need to stop the hate. We need to love our neighbor as Jesus loves us. We need to respect the dignity of all life.
As Jesus says in the Golden Rule, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).
One might want to say that they think it is foolish to love someone who attacks us. Does that mean Jesus was foolish when He gave his life for us on the Cross (see Romans 5:8)?
The problem may be that we do not wholly understand what love is. Love means forgiveness. Love means looking beyond the hurt and the pain. Love means looking into the heart and seeing the goodness God created us with (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
I do not understand the violence. I do not need to. I just need to love.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff