Hear, O Israel!
Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Mark 12:28-34- One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of 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. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength?”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
In another Gospel Jesus follows this line with the statement: “On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Everything depends on love. Someone may ask, “If the secret to living well is simply to love—then why do we bother with the Ten Commandments, different rules about fasting and abstaining, rules about when to take Communion and when not to, and the one million other rules that Catholics keep? The answer is this: we need rules because we don’t love enough. If we loved God and others perfectly, then we wouldn’t need rules.
Love gets easier with practice. Many things are like this—all habits, whether good and bad, become easier the more we practice them. For instance, prayer seems easier when we do it often; watching our temper gets easier after we control them a few times, “getting the last word” seems less important after we make an effort not to. Rules, whether from the Church, our parents, or ourselves, are helpful in training our spiritual muscles until they are fit—fit to love. Prayer, watching our temper, remaining silent—and loving—will all be easier for us if we put in the effort to establish these good habits in our lives. Then we won’t need rules; we’ll be beautiful people who live by one rule: love. Practice love!
(Note: to love is explained by St. Thomas Aquinas as ‘to will the benefit/good of another.’)
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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