A Return to hope... to love the One Lord

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, Third week in Lent

March 28, 2025 - Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12: 28-34

We are reflecting these days on doing the will of God, by way of our obedience to the commandments, the precepts or the teachings of the Lord. It is not simply following a rule, or abiding by a law, or keeping up a custom... it is all about a relationship with God - how absolute that relationship is, and how uncompromising our dedication is! 

First of all, the compromises might come in, when we find excuses to not follow the rule or reasons to break the law or justifications to define exceptions - whatever name we give them, dispensation or allowance or remission and so on. But what matters here is the motive, the real and the innermost motive, and not what is apparently presented. At the level of the conscience we need to come to grips with it. 

The other mode of compromise is what is more dangerous, and the prophet speaks to us about it: creating our own gods... making our own idols, not only in the literal sense, but in the most applicative or figurative sense. When we make riches, conveniences, comfort, progress, advancement, happiness, success, human respect, status, prestige, power, control etc. the priorities of our decision making, we are making of them little gods who will slowly grow and begin occupying larger and larger space in our lives, be it as indivuduals or as communities.

The remedy, as the Word presents to us today is - listening to the voice of the Lord! And the Jesus explains to us that, as the first and the most fundamental commandment: to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The commandment that follows is a sequel to it, rather a verification of the former - to love our neighbours. It is the latter, true love for the other, that makes sure that I am not making a god for myself, or making a god of myself... but remain loyal to the call that I have received from my One God - to love him in everything.