The Great Commandment:"One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! 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 neighbour as yourself" (Mk.12:28b-34).
This is truly a great commandment! To be asked to love the Lord your God with everything you are and have is a great request.
God is LOVE, the Creator of all that there is, and we are asked to love the Source of all being with the best we have -- our heart and soul! It is something to wonder about. Certainly not something to be afraid of or to feel under a severe obligation.
So before saying anything else, let me highlight this point: What a privilege it is to be called to love the Lord our God with the best within us!
A Sense of Our Limitations:
Having said that, I think it is quite truthful and honest to say, generally such a request is quite beyond us. There is such a division we feel within us that gets in the way. I know for years I have hoped that I will be able to respond to this commandment just as requested -- that is, with everything within me -- that I will grow up, mature, become whole, undivided, so as to be capable of fulfilling this commandment. But I am far from such an achievement.
Maybe there is the problem! To say it is an achievement, as though it is myself that is capable of fully responding.
God's Loving Presence:
Of late, I have taken a different approach. Now I try to be open to the Presence of the Living and Loving God within my life. The Loving God is more present to me than I am to myself. It is as simple as that. So I try to be open to the Presence of the Loving God within my life. It is a whole different emphasis. It is not what I do but what I am open to, open to receive! For instance, take your presence to one another in the family, or as a married couple. What a difference there is to the family and the couple when there is a mutually open and receptive presence to one another.
What wonderful things you are capable of . . ., we are capable of, and what a graced-experience it is. Of course, we have to take time to allow this to happen. We have to spend time together so as to be open to one another. In terms of fulfilling this Great Commandment, for me, it means practicing a silent prayer, a silent meditation where the method is simply to be open to God's loving presence.
The method is called Centering Prayer, and a short two syllable word or phrase is used as a symbol of one's loving surrender to the loving presence of God within one. Of course, it is a prayer of faith. Generally, nothing seems to be happening but don't worry! Fr. Thomas Keating, the American Trappist monk who has been at the forefront of this movement since the middle seventies of last century has made this reassuring comment: Don't judge your prayer by what happens in your prayer-time. Judge your prayer by what happens outside your prayer-time; that is, what difference do you notice about the way you live your life, what are the resources you bring to bear upon your responsibilities, or the manner of your presence to those you love, serve and live with?The Great Commandment is all about Love and Life! Let's not be afraid of such a calling!