Friday of
the 3rd Week of Lent
March 28,
2014 8:30am
This morning there is just one
point in the gospel that I want to highlight.
The scribe who asks Jesus about
the greatest commandment is most likely a Jew who is very devoted to the temple
ritual.
This is why it is so noteworthy
that he says that keeping those two great commandments of love is more
important than “all burnt offerings and
sacrifices.”
And Jesus really affirms this
man’s understanding.
Now, we believe that the
sacrifice of the Mass or the Eucharist is important.
After all, Jesus gave this to us
and told us to do this in his memory.
But it is important that we
realize our oneness with others in sharing this one bread and one cup.
This includes our oneness with
those who are here and by extension, with all of God’s sons and daughters on
this earth.
After all, when Jesus says that
if we come here and find that we are not reconciled with another, we should go
first and be reconciled and then come back and make our offering to God.
Jesus places no limit on those
with whom we are to be reconciled.
Everyone and anyone is included
among those with whom we are to be reconciled.
So, the Eucharist does make us
one with Jesus or one with God.
But we are also to be one with
each other through this.
We are to allow the Eucharist to
empower us to live this out in our everyday lives.
So Jesus affirms the sensitive,
insightful understanding of the scribe today.
And, in fact, that insight lies
at the basis of our best and fullest understanding of the Eucharist.
