Friday March 29, 2019
Forgive Us as We Forgive
Introduction
Many human endeavors fail because God is left out of the picture. Israel wanted to go her own way, relying on her resources and alliances with the mighty of the day. The mighty are toppled by mightier ones, and everything collapses. People today try to establish prosperity and happiness, but at the expense of others, with the force of arms or relying on gadgets, money, or palliatives. We cannot be saved without God. Salvation lies in love of God and is expressed in love of our neighbor. The rule of life of Christians is: Love God with your whole being, and your neighbor as yourself; see God in your neighbor and see also a bit of yourself in your neighbor.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
all throughout history people have experienced
that we cannot be happy
if we rely merely on our own insights and resources.
God, do not let us idolize
anything made with our own hands,
but may we humbly seek
justice, truth and happiness
in cooperation and communion with you,
as you taught us through Jesus Christ
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10
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.
Responsorial Psalm 81:6C-8A, 8BC-9, 10-11AB, 14 AND 17
R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
"I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?"
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
Verse before the Gospel: Mt 4:17
Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Gospel Mk 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.
Intercessions:
– That Christians everywhere may not be people of legalisms and outward observances, but people with a heart who do what they have to do and more, because they are God’s children, we pray:
– That the nations of the world may respect and love one another and build peace and progress on the basis of justice and equitable sharing, we pray:
– That our anemic and dried-up love may become rich and spontaneous, like a fresh breath of life and joy brightening the lives of those around us and a wordless song of praise to God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God and Father,
we are gathered here for this eucharist
to celebrate the coming among us
of your life and love through your Son.
May our offering be the recognition
that you loved us
before we could love you.
Help us to express our grateful love to you
by extending our hands to all
who are called to be brothers and sisters
of Jesus Christ, our Lord and brother for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God and Father,
you have broken for us
the life-giving bread of your Son.
By the strength of the eucharist,
may we love you, our living God,
with all that is in us
and our neighbor far and near
as much as we love ourselves.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
To love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself is much more important than any ritual sacrifices. It is true worship! May God bless you, that Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
The Great Commandment has been saved for this third week of Lent. If one can speak of the genius of Christianity, it cer¬tainly finds expression in the first and greatest commandment. It is a summary of the entire Christian ethic.
This precept combines two concepts from the Old Testament. The first is the great Shema from the Book of Deuteronomy, an unequivocal statement of monotheistic faith. Yahweh is God and he alone; the response required is total and uncompromising. As the only God, he is to be loved with the totality of one’s forces (heart, soul, and mind). This recognition of God’s absolute sovereignty is coupled with a thought from Leviticus. It expresses the horizontal dimension of our moral life. Our neighbor is to be loved as we love ourselves, and neighbor here is to be taken in a broad sense. Unlike its earlier meaning, it is not limited to other Israelites. It calls for openness to any human being. To answer the question of the Good Samaritan parable—“Who is my neighbor?”—the answer is anyone who has need of me.
The recognition of God and neighbor leaves no middle ground. It is a summary of the entire New Testament ethic, especially the Sermon on the Mount. We are called to recognize from the heart the sovereignty and goodness of God and to respond to the needs of others as they occur.
Hosea’s insistent call to conversion is at the heart of his message. Sadly, Israel had abandoned her first love and gone after empty idols. In this moving book, the prophet calls, with insis¬tence for a “return.”
The lesson of forgiveness is a good benchmark here. As John asks, How can I say that I love God whom I do not see and do not love my neighbor whom I see? In short, the Christian is the one who loves prayer but also has a spirit of availability toward brother and sister. Be sure that in making an examination of conscience, the Great Commandment is a worthy tool. In a real sense, that says it all.
Points to Ponder
Does God have full sway in my life?
The relationship between love of God and neighbor
Recognizing one’s neighbor in today’s world.
