Do you sometimes feel like you’re far from the Kingdom of God? Living in this world can certainly make it feel that way, can’t it. But maybe you’re not as far as you think.
In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 12, a scribe asks Jesus which is the first of all the commandments. Jesus’ reply is to love the Lord, your God and to love your neighbor as yourself. The scribe affirms this. The Scripture then tells us, “And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God.’ ”
You see, being near to the Kingdom of God is really about where our hearts are. Not that actions don’t matter; they certainly do. But when we have love for God and a greater understanding of God’s will in our lives and in the world, we draw ever closer to the Kingdom. And as we grow in love and in knowledge, our actions will naturally follow. Love of God, love of neighbor. The closer we get to those, the closer we get to the Kingdom of God.
Father, help us to love you more, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, that we may draw ever closer to your Kingdom. Amen.
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