FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Mark 12:28-34) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mk 12:30)

FIRST READING - Hosea 14:2-10

A reading from the Book of Hosea

Thus says the LORD:

Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;

you have collapsed through your guilt.

Take with you words,

and return to the LORD;

Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,

and receive what is good, that we may render

as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.

Assyria will not save us,

nor shall we have horses to mount;

We shall say no more, 'Our god,'

to the work of our hands;

for in you the orphan finds compassion."

I will heal their defection, says the LORD,

I will love them freely;

for my wrath is turned away from them.

I will be like the dew for Israel:

he shall blossom like the lily;

He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,

and put forth his shoots.

His splendor shall be like the olive tree

and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.

Again they shall dwell in his shade

and raise grain;

They shall blossom like the vine,

and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?

I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.

"I am like a verdant cypress tree"–

Because of me you bear fruit!

Let him who is wise understand these things;

let him who is prudent know them.

Straight are the paths of the LORD,

in them the just walk,

but sinners stumble in them.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mk 12:28-34

From the Gospel according to Mark

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.

FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Mark 12:28-34)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God, God calls all mankind to repent of our sins and return to Him.

Since ancient times, God has been calling humanity in this world daily to repent of our sins and return to Him, as the prophet Hosea listened to God's command and conveyed it to his people.

And until today, God is waiting every second, every minute for His children to be determined to abandon the path of sin and return to the loving arms of God.

Today's Word of God tells all mankind that, in this world, there is no law more important than the law of loving God and loving others, that Jesus Himself taught to His disciples.

When one of the scribes came to Jesus to test Him, he asked, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus answered the most important commandment is that “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Another commandment that is no less important is: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These two important commandments are always interlinked and must be combined into one because these two commandments come from God's loving heart; only in God is there true love. No one can say, I love God with all my soul, with all my strength, and with all my mind, but then fail to love our fellow brothers and sisters as ourselves. If we can only do one of these two important commandments, then we have not pleased God.

God demands more perfection—that we must do both at the same time. This is also the invitation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to earth to become a human being.

God invites all humanity to listen to His Word and put it into practice, to be determined to abandon the path of sin and return to God the Father. Lent is an opportunity that God gives to humanity to repent of our sins and come closer to God the Father. This is God's invitation to all humanity. Therefore, whoever listens to and puts into practice these two important commandments, that person's soul will be happy in the Kingdom of Heaven.

God loves mankind, so this is also the way God teaches humanity to attain happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven in the future.

Love is important and lasts forever, more important than the burnt offerings offered to God.

For God is love, this love will spread to all of humanity when humanity knows how to open our hearts and souls to listen to God's teachings, to worship only God, the One and Only, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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