Dt. 6: 2-6; Ps. 18: 2-4, 47, 51; Heb. 7: 23-28; Mk. 12: 28b-34

Who is this unnamed scribe in the gospel who is not far from the kingdom of God and where did he get this understanding?  First we must recognize the context on which he speaks.  This is not a high priest with special graces from God.  Second, he is living in a Jewish culture where “burnt offerings and sacrifices” were part of the Law of great importance for righteousness before God.  For the scribe to be politically incorrect and dare devalue the merits of burn offerings and sacrifices could have been an offense to the Jewish institution, sacrilegious or even worthy of stoning.  Again, who is this scribe with courage to question the norms, speak with authority and judge for himself?

He is a scribe and scribes were educated men who could read, write, and discern the scriptures.  Most people were not literate but they developed the capacity to memorize long passages of scripture.  Today we have an educational system that offers us a great opportunity to study and learn that we may discern with wisdom.  The internet search engines are the “go to” to simply ask the question and get information in an instant from the accumulated knowledge of the world.  With all this information at our fingertips how do we use these tools to gain our understanding of our faith?  I have three Catholic apps on my phone, the Missal, the Breviary, and ETWN.  I confess there are five game apps also my grandson downloaded that he plays when he is with us so we have to be on alert what he is trying to download.  Outside of Mass what scripture reading do we study?  If the goal is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength then our heart must be in prayer with God, our soul in union with God, our mind I the knowledge of God and our strength in service of God.  There we fulfill the great commandment and are not far from the kingdom of God.

Moses links the love of God with “Fear the Lord and…keep…all his statutes and commandments”.  This call to obedience was a way of demonstrating love but it did not capture the hearts, minds, and souls of the people as seen by the continuous rebellion against God in the desert.  This is also a people who came out of slavery where obedience meant survival not love.  I remember a young couple coming in for marriage counseling many years ago.  I asked them to complete the sentence, “I feel you love me when__”.  The young man stated, “I feel you love me when you are obedient to me.”  In today’s world that brings charges of sexist, macho, and abusive language.”  Scripture says, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ…wives should be subordinate to their husbands…husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.” (Eph. 5: 21-28) There is a mutual sacrifice for each other.

The development of the behavioral sciences tells us the cognitive-behavioral relationship is a form of being subordinate to each other.  Cognitively we reason to believe and change behavioral patterns and behaviorally we modify our behavior in obedience and discipline to bring about the understanding that can only come by doing.  God the Father gave us the commandments of doing to come to understanding and Jesus the Son gives us the spirit of understanding that we may grow in relationship of love a covenant relationship with him.

Jesus did the ultimate sacrifice for us to bring us understanding of the Father’s love.  Mass is our time to offer our gifts of self to him, our joys, sorrows, our sacrifices.  It is not a love from obedience to rules but commandments that build loving relationships.  The commandments foster love, unity, fellowship, peace, and justice the visible signs of invisible love.

The search for the “fountain of youth” has captured the human psyche throughout history.  There is the mud from the Dead Sea to make you look years younger; the anti-aging science of cell regeneration for tissue and organs, the life-style changes of diet and exercise; and finally going back to ancient times the cover-up of makeup and dress-up in style.  Today we are reminded of the life-style commandments of God to realize our growth, prosperity, and having the “long life”.  It comes from Jesus teaching, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”  If we abide in him he will abide in us and our riches in Jesus will be multiplied.

One of the biggest factors in aging, sickness, and poor health is stress.  What fosters stress in our life cognitively is the thinking, “I need to be in control” and the behavior of being in a hurry in life.  The anti-aging formula from God is summed up in the Serenity Prayer, “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”  As the commercial says, “Stay young my friend” not with beer but with prayer.  Beer only adds more wrinkles to life.

The world keeps racing with the next faster internet speed and automation inventions.  We have gone from camp fire cooking to wood stoves, gas and electric heating, microwave and now fast drive through windows all to get more done in less time.  The result is we create more to do but are we more fulfilled?  We have created an imbalance of lifestyle.

Here is an alternative called Lectio Divina.  It is a balance of heart, mind, body and spirit.  We open our hearts to God by reading scripture called “Lectio”; we reflect in our minds on the meaning of God word with “Meditatio”; we then try to simply rest in silence in God’s presence to listen what word of knowledge he conveys to us in “Contemplatio”; and we respond in spirit to the revelation God gives us in prayer called “Oratio”.

If Jesus priesthood is forever then our priesthood through baptism is forever.  What our ministry in heaven will be God will determine but one thing we know from living and from scriptures is that life is in constant motion fulfilling a purpose greater than ourselves.

Jesus makes it clear, “The Lord our God is Lord alone!”  The scribe adds the exclamation point, “He is One and there is no other than he”.  Focus on him on the cross, focus on him in our neighbor, and focus on him in all creation the source of life, love, freedom and justice.  Focus on heaven in the communion of saints, angels, and our Blessed Mother and then go forth to love him in our neighbor.  The commandments are the means to the end.  The Lord our God is the beginning and the end there is no other.  The scribe is right in saying, “He is One and there is no other than he”.  The One who has created us as one-being and there is no other like us just like out of his love.  Who is this scribe given such wisdom?  He is a testimony of what God does with a soul who fulfills the greatest commandment.   Be THAT one!

Tags

• Cognitive Behavioral relationship
• Greatest Commandments
• Lectio Divina
• Long life in Christ
• obedience
• Priesthood