Deuteronomy 6:2-6 / Hebrews 7:23-28 / Mark 12:28-34
No one can be forced to listen to a message that they are not prepared to receive.
They may have heard the message many times over, but they do not respond to it, or act on it.
They may even know the contents of the message, but they do not really put it into practice.
Over the past two days, the Church celebrated two feasts that have a profound impact on our lives.
And these two feasts make us reflect on our lives and how we should go on living.
The first is the feast of All Saints, in which we express our belief in the Communion of Saints.
We are reminded of the call to holiness, that the Saints are praying for us to join them in heaven to praise God in eternity.
The second is the feasts of All Souls, in which we remember our departed loved ones and all the faithful departed.
We offer Mass and pray for them, so that they will be purified and rest in the eternal peace of God.
So, the feast of All Saints reminds us of our eternity.
And the feast of All Souls reminds us of our mortality.
The message is plain and clear, and it grounds us down to this reality:
We were born without bringing anything into this world.
We die without taking anything with us.
But the surprising thing is that in the interval between life and death, we fight for what we did not bring in, and we desire for what we cannot take away.
In other words, we forget about our mortality and our eternity.
We know the message, we have heard it numerous times, but we forget to put it into practice.
In the gospel, the scribe asked Jesus about which is the first of all commandments.
As a scribe, he should know the answer to his own question.
For whatever motive he had in asking that question, Jesus replied plainly and clearly: “This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must 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 must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Then at that moment, the scribe seemed to be enlightened and he realized what the Commandment is about.
Jesus seeing how wisely he had spoken said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
This gospel passage tells us that there will be an appointed time when we will realize the truth of life and the reality of love.
For me, the appointed time has come in my last weekend of ministry and service in this parish.
The truth of life is that there will be changes, but God has His plans for me and for this parish community.
But in the midst of changes, the reality of love and blessing does not change.
I came to this parish about 10 years ago wondering what is God's plan for you and me.
As God’s plan unfolded, it was blessing upon blessing, and love upon love.
From you, I have learned what is simplicity and humility, and to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength.
And I hope that I have shown you how to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.
I have received abundant blessings from the Lord, and I also wanted to share God's blessings with you.
Some of you may have received unique showers of blessings of Holy Water on your hair, running down your face, and maybe into your eyes and into your ears.
Yes, God loves us and blesses us abundantly.
May we also love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength.
Then we will not be far from the kingdom of God.