In our Gospel today, a scribe asks Jesus a question about the greatest commandment of all. We are probably thinking: Well, Jesus has 10 commandments to choose from, so this doesn’t seem like such a difficult question. However, according to Jewish tradition, there are 613 mitzvot or commandments in their Holy Scriptures, so this question is actually more complicated than it seems on the surface to us. With the scribes and Pharisees being obsessed in their observance of the law, Jesus is faced with a very challenging proposition. The scribe poses this question in the Gospel of Mark after he hears Jesus having an intense discussion with some Pharisees and Herodians; they were asking Jesus a barrage of questions in order to try to trap him and get him in trouble with the chief priests and the Jewish elders.
Jesus answers that the two greatest commandments revolve around the love of God and love of neighbor. This weekend, we are going to start discussing stewardship here at St Jude with reflections in the Little Burgundy Book, from the same Catholic Diocese that produces the Little Books we hand out during Advent, Lent, and Easter. I am looking forward to discussing stewardship together as a parish. The first thing to say is that stewardship is part of our identity as disciples of Christ, that stewardship is not an option, but rather an essential part of our being. Stewardship is a way we love God and love our neighbor. It is an integral part of our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ. In our discussions these next few weeks, we will discuss how stewardship is a way of life. I want to encourage you to read the reflections in the Burgundy Book that we are handing out this weekend and to engage in the conversation on stewardship that we are going to have at our parish.
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