Christ is Born!
When I was a teacher, I taught a student named Shema. This is the Hebrew word for the Greatest Commandment which is referenced by our Lord in our reading today- to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.
Christ has been speaking to Scribes the whole way through this Gospel and none of them seem to get it. What is the difference here? While the other Scribes had been interested in setting traps for our Lord, this one comes to Him honestly. This is what allows him to see that the love of neighbor is an expression of the love of God.
When we ask questions are we more interested in stating our opinion than entering into an actual dialogue? When we listen to someone, do we actually hear what it is that they are saying, or are we already moving on to what we would say in response to what we think they are saying. Let us take seriously the reminder we hear from our lesson today approach one another in honest love and allow it to be an offering to the Lord. In this way we can all become living Shemas!
Christ is Born!
