From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 12:28-34

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 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.

Pay attention to the gifts

In today’s Gospel, when the Lord responds to the scribe, He begins by saying, “Hear, O Israel,” before continuing with “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…”Therefore, the first step is to “listen” to how much God loves me, so that I can respond to the One who loves me above all things by loving Him in the same way.  

We must learn to listen, because by listening, we come to know, and by knowing, we can love. The Word helps us listen to God and know Him—it is the primary means, which is why prayer is so important. But throughout the entire day, I can remain in a state of “listening to God,”  being attentive to all the gifts I receive from Him. I begin to discover a Father who is present in everything and everyone, who works miracles for me every day, and I find myself falling more in love with Him. My immediate response will be to love as He wants me to love—by loving my spouse as He loves me. And then, my children, family, friends…  

Today’s challenge is to pay attention to God’s gifts every minute. You’ll see how it changes your day.  

Applied to Married Life:

Carlos: This morning, I woke up in a bed. Thank You, Lord, for giving me a warm and comfortable place to rest. Next to me was my wife, waking up around the same time. Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your daughter, so that I may live a love of communion with her, just as You do.  

I get up and freshen up. Thank You, Lord, for this running water—hot, clean—allowing me to wash myself, feel refreshed, and smell nice. Now clean and ready, I step out of the room and check on the kids. They are still asleep. Thank You, Lord, for entrusting these children to me, so that I may exercise Your fatherhood over them. I look at them with the love that comes from my daily self-giving—providing for them, dressing them, educating them, helping them grow into faithful men and women of God.  

I open the fridge—it’s full, with everything we need for a family breakfast. Thank You, Lord, for our daily bread, which we share every morning, along with laughter, stories, and plans for Sunday…  

Then we get ready for Mass. The kids take forever, we’re running late—thank You, Lord, for these opportunities to grow in patience. We arrive at church. An immense *Thank You, Lord,* because You give Yourself to me, to my wife, to my children—to fill us with You, with Your love, to make us part of You. A family in the Spirit…  

Afterwards, we take a walk—my wife and I talking, embracing… Thank You, Lord, for this suitable help, for someone to listen to, someone to share my heart with, someone to help and to ask for help, someone in whom I find rest every day.  

(And this way, the entire Sunday goes on…)  

Today, I have learned to recognize You and love You, Lord.

Mother,

I need to pay attention to the gift in every moment. Help me see it. Even in what seems negative, teach me to do as You did—to keep these things in my heart until I discover the gift. The love God has for me is astonishing—I just need to learn to recognize His love in everything and everyone.