Reflection:
One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord you 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.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.
Further Readings:
The Synon on New Evangelisation, held in October 2012, dealt with the following aspects:
(1) the history,
(2) the agent or motor,
(3) the source,
(4) the contents,
(5) the evangelisers,
(6) the persons to whom the New Evangelisation is to be delivered and
(7) the means with which the New Evangelisation is to be done.
Before we could be New Evangelisers with our own life, we need to be converted. This conversion invites us to reinvigorate, reanimate and resuscitate what we have already been doing. This Sunday’s Gospel reminds us that our life can only be given new life through love.
The life of the Servant of God Joseph De Piro is embraced and enfolded in the greatest commandment. Considering the notes he took when he was discerning whether or not to become a priest, one notices that Joseph, a young man of twenty, speaks of his love for the Lord. Moreover, in his secret will, certainly one of his last documents, in a very explicit way De Piro declares his unconditional love for all his sisters and brothers.