First Reading (Hosea 14:2-10)
Reading from the Prophecy of Hosea.
Thus says the Lord God: “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have fallen into your sin. All of you, find words and return to the Lord; say to him, ‘Deliver us from all evil and accept this good thing we have offered, the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us; we do not want to ride our horses, we will no longer call the products of our hands ‘Our Gods’; in you the orphan will find mercy. I will heal his mercy. wickedness and it will be easy for me to love them, my wrath has turned away from them. I will be like dew to Israel; they will blossom like the lily and take root like the plants of Lebanon; Ephraim to do with idols? I am the one who listens to him and who watches over him. I am like the evergreen cypress: from me comes your fruit. Understand these words, let the wise man reflect on them! The ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous will walk in them, while the wicked stumble and fall there.”
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (Mark 12,28b-34)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, a master of the Law approached Jesus and asked: “What is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied: “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord. 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 commandment is: You shall love your neighbor as yourself! There is no other commandment greater than these.” The teacher of the Law said to Jesus: “Very well, Master! Indeed, it is as you said: He is the only God and there is no other besides Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is better than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Jesus saw that he had responded intelligently, and said: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one else had the courage to ask Jesus questions.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
My dear brothers and sisters, I ask that you, for a moment, imagine the scene: a field of flowers at dawn. The sun rises over the horizon, spreading its light over the delicate petals that, until then, were dormant in the darkness of the night. Each flower opens, grateful for the light that comes from the sky, and turns to the sun, seeking warmth and life. Just as these flowers open to the light, we, too, are called to open our hearts to the love of God and the light of His word, which leads us to a full life, full of meaning and peace.
In the First Reading, the prophet Hosea invites us to return to the Lord, a return to true love, which is not marked by distrust or fear, but by unshakable trust in God, who always welcomes us with mercy. He tells us about the beauty of repentance and conversion: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have been shaken by your sin.” It’s as if we are trapped in a dark place, unable to see the true beauty around us, until finally we decide to return to the light, to the grace of God.
The prophet tells us that when we return to God, He will restore us. “I will heal your unfaithfulness and love you generously,” promises the Lord. Imagine, for a moment, the pain of a wound that won’t heal. The feeling that something is incomplete, broken within us. But when we decide to draw closer to God, He heals us, just like a doctor who takes care of an open wound and makes it strong again. He makes us new and gives us the opportunity to live a transformed life, far from the pain of sin and separation from Him.
Hosea teaches us that God’s love is not conditional, but eternal. Even when we move away from Him, He is always ready to welcome us back. He is like the farmer who takes care of his crops patiently, waiting for the right moment to see the fruit ripen. And what He wants is for us to return to Him sincerely, with a contrite and humble heart, recognizing our need for His grace.
In the Gospel, we see a defining moment in the life of Jesus. A teacher of the Law, trying to test Him, asks: “What is the first of all the commandments?” The question is important because it summarizes all Jewish morals and ethics in a single instruction. Jesus’ answer is direct and profound: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” And then He adds a second command, which is inseparable from the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
These words of Jesus are like a compass for our lives. They direct us to what really matters: love. Jesus not only commands us to love, but teaches us how to love – with everything we are, with our whole being. God’s love is not something superficial, it is something that should permeate every area of our lives. It is not a temporary love, but a love that transforms, that makes us see the world and the people around us in a new way.
Love for God and neighbor are closely linked. We cannot truly love God if we do not love our brothers and sisters. Love for God is visible in love for others. If we say we love God but hate our brother, we are deceiving ourselves, as Saint John reminds us in his letters. The true measure of our love for God is how we treat others, especially those in situations of fragility and need.
This double order of love that Jesus presents to us is not a heavy burden, but an invitation to freedom. When we love God and our neighbors from the heart, we are living as we were made to live. Love is our deepest calling, the purpose that gives meaning to all our actions and choices. There is no greater calling in life than to be bearers of this love, which heals, restores and transforms the world around us.
We could think, perhaps, that loving God is an impossible task, something that demands a perfection that we will never achieve. But in truth, God calls us to a simple love, a love that is born from the willingness to follow Him and obey His commandments. He does not ask us for perfection, but sincerity. He wants us to love Him with what we have – with our strength, our heart, our mind – and He will help us grow in that love throughout our lives.
Turning to God, as Hosea teaches us, and living God’s love with our entire being, as Jesus teaches us, is not just an act of devotion, but a path of transformation. How can we love God more intensely? How can we love our brothers more deeply? The answer is in our daily lives. Every gesture, every word, every choice can be an expression of this love. If we seek God in our daily prayer, if we seek Him in the face of our neighbors, especially in those most in need, we are following the path of true love.
There is a challenge on our hands, my brothers and sisters: to live love in a concrete way. How can we show this love in our everyday lives? Maybe it’s forgiving someone who hurt us, maybe it’s spending more time in prayer, or maybe it’s helping someone who is alone or going through difficulties. Small gestures, but they reflect great love.
As we approach the altar table, where Christ himself offers himself for us, we are reminded that He lived this love to its ultimate consequences. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us. And it is this love that inspires us and strengthens us to live love in our lives. As He did, so should we do.
In the end, the question that remains is: how are we responding to this call to love? Are we giving God all of our heart, soul and strength? Are we loving our neighbors as ourselves? If so, we are on the path to true happiness and true peace. And, if not, it is never too late to start living this love, as God calls us to return to Him, with confidence, with hope, and with an open heart to receive His mercy.
May today, as we leave this celebration, we be more faithful to the commandment of love, and may we look at the world through the eyes of Christ, loving and serving others with all our being. Amen.
