Daily Gospel Reflection for November 3, 2024

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Leslie Lynch

Today's Gospel: Mark 12:28b-34

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of the greatest commandment:

“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.”

This is an intimidating proposal, at least to me. I am very aware of my failings. The seven deadly sins (pride, envy, sloth, greed, gluttony, wrath, lust) take turns in drawing my focus away from loving the Lord, my God.

Contemplating and nurturing the seven cardinal virtues (humility, kindness, diligence, charity, temperance, patience, chastity) in my daily life help counteract those vices—and thank God for those lively virtues! Also, thank God for the sacrament of Reconciliation that resets the direction of my focus!

Then there’s the proposal of loving my neighbor, whom Jesus defines as anyone who crosses my path, no matter how like or unlike me that person is.

St. Thomas Aquinas defines love as “to will the good of the other.” When I think of love that way, it becomes more possible. I can “will the good” of anyone.

But I suspect that for many of us, the first person we need to love is ourself.

If this is true for you, please take a few minutes today and find a moment of (relative!) silence and just be. Jesus has an endless golden sea of mercy that I "saw" once while contemplating Him, and when I am distressed, I often ask Him if I can go into that sea.

He always says yes.

If any of us truly understood how deep God’s love for us is, these two commandments would be easy. Simply to love Him back and to love others in the same way.

Ponder:

How can I nurture my love for God, my neighbor, and myself today?

Pray:

Dearest Jesus, can I spend a few moments floating in Your endless sea of mercy today? Please grant me the grace of loving You, my neighbor, and myself the way You do.

Copyright 2024 Leslie Lynch

Leslie Lynch lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a rescued, feral-turned-sweetheart cat. She’s written three full-length novels: Hijacked, Unholy Bonds, and Opal’s Jubilee; and two novellas: Christmas Hope and Christmas Grace. She is a freelance contributor to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’s newspaper, The Criterion, and holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. Learn more at www.leslielynch.com.