Today's Gospel in Lent: The Greatest Commandment

St. Mark 12:28-34

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he [Jesus] had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Sacred Space

You can find this gospel and a gentle devotional aid for today here: 

https://sacredspace.com/daily-prayer/2025-03-28/

Christian Art

You can read or listen to a reflection by Fr Patrick van der Vorst on this gospel and a beautiful painting called The Boating Party, by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), here:

https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-12-28b-34-2025/

"Time and again, the Bible reminds us that love is the greatest virtue we can hold. It is love for our neighbour, our families (as seen in this painting), our friends, but above all, Jesus declares: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart.” This, He tells us, is the greatest commandment. Yet, we cannot love God fully without His help. Within each of us, He has planted a deep longing to love Him, a longing that must be nurtured in order to grow. Just as a musician improves through dedicated practice, and a rower (as in our painting) becomes more skilled with each stroke, so too does our love for God deepen the more we give ourselves to Him. The more we seek Him, the more we will love Him... until our hearts, like the mother’s embrace in this painting [see link], reflect the love that God first poured into us."   The Boating Party, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)  Public domain  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boating_Party "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another." 1 John 3:16 (NIV)