Mark 12:28-34 “in a snailshell”
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
©️2021 by Gloria M. Chang
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, 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 neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. ”The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Mark 12:28-34
Let us love one another in God,
for this is the Kingdom of God.
Snail lesson on Rose teaching me that love has both beauty and thorns.
That is a beautiful idea to contemplate! Thank you for the inspiration. 🌹🐌
Dear GMC, thank you for your reflection. I thought I would share with you a post from today’s Passionist reflection: “For Jesus to speak of loving with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength is for him to name the spectrum of human capacity and to suggest we orient our entire being towards love of God and others.”
Beautiful, fdan! Thank you!
Ever hear the saying ‘going at a snail’s pace’? Most of us get really frustrated when things move slowly. I know I do. We have become so accustomed to instant gratification, especially in today’s culture of at-your-fingertips technology. The snail on the rose is speaking to me today in a very powerful way. The rose, for me, is from St. Therese, who loved the Lord with her whole heart, soul, mind and strength. She was the ‘little soul’ who was never in a hurry, but was peacefully content with God’s timing. She saw His love and mercy in all things, in all ways, in all times. She’s telling me to do the same. I demand answers RIGHT NOW…she reminds me that my prayer is heard and the Lord will let it manifest in His gentle, steady, unhurried moment of grace. Thank you, dear GMC, for your prayers at exactly the right time…and for this beautiful image of God’s love.
GMC:
Thank you for sharing how the snail and rose help us to slow down and wait on God’s timing. May the Holy Spirit help us to abide in God’s eternal NOW in the midst of the hubbub of the world.
“Above the clouds the sky is always blue.”
St. Therese of Lisieux
🐌🌹
Thank you, Gloria. You are one of the “Little Flowers” God has graced my life with. 🌹✝️🌹
Thank you, Theresa. May we bloom in God’s garden together! 🌷🌼🌹