Sunday, October 31, 2021 - Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time - If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord; my Father will love him, and we will come to him - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12, 28b-34

Which is the first of all the commandments? This is the question that this scribe asks Jesus. He responds with the commandment of love, which according to Jesus has two parts, one as important as the other.

First, to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. One must love God first and foremost, for his love for men is constant at all times and in all places. Then, to love your neighbor as yourself. By neighbor, we mean all men without exception, including those whom we might consider as our enemies. Thus, loving God and loving neighbor are inseparable.

Jesus is the first to have fulfilled the commandment of love by giving himself on the cross. Out of love for God, his Father, and out of love for men, he suffered and gave his life on the cross. Indeed, he loves the Father who sent him so much as he loves the men for whom he was sent.

God calls us to keep the commandment of love and it is this same commandment that assures us of eternal life.