The Word of Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, challenge our tendency to disputes that may displace our Love with heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Love in Strength

The Reading from the Second Letter of Timothy defines Timothy’s Conduct including a Warning against Useless Disputes.

* [2:8–13] The section begins with a sloganlike summary of Paul’s gospel about Christ (2 Tm 2:8) and concludes with what may be part of an early Christian hymn (2 Tm 2:11b–12a; most exegetes include the rest of 2 Tm 2:12 and all of 2 Tm 2:13 as part of the quotation). The poetic lines suggest that through baptism Christians die spiritually with Christ and hope to live with him and reign with him forever, but the Christian life includes endurance, witness, and even suffering, as the final judgment will show and as Paul’s own case makes clear; while he is imprisoned for preaching the gospel (2 Tm 2:9), his sufferings are helpful to the elect for obtaining the salvation and glory available in Christ (2 Tm 2:10), who will be true to those who are faithful and will disown those who deny him (2 Tm 2:12–13).

* [2:14–19] For those who dispute about mere words (cf. 2 Tm 2:23–24) and indulge in irreligious talk to the detriment of their listeners (2 Tm 2:16–19), see notes on 1 Tm 1:3–7; 6:20–21. Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tm 2:17), while accepting the Christian’s mystical death and resurrection in Christ through baptism, claimed that baptized Christians are already risen with Christ in this life and thus that there is no future bodily resurrection or eternal glory to come. The first quotation in 2 Tm 2:19 is from Nm 16:5; the other quotation is from some unidentified Jewish or Christian writing. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 25 expresses confidence in God who forgives and guides.

* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark presents an exchange between Jesus and a scribe who is impressed by the way in which Jesus has conducted himself.

* [12:28–34] See note on Mt 22:34–40.(Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [22:34–40] The Marcan parallel (Mk 12:28–34) is an exchange between Jesus and a scribe who is impressed by the way in which Jesus has conducted himself in the previous controversy (Mk 12:28), who compliments him for the answer he gives him (Mk 12:32), and who is said by Jesus to be “not far from the kingdom of God” (Mk 12:34). Matthew has sharpened that scene. The questioner, as the representative of other Pharisees, tests Jesus by his question (Mt 22:34–35), and both his reaction to Jesus’ reply and Jesus’ commendation of him are lacking. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that standing with the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan Woman, and “Good Pharisees” like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, Mark’s Good Scribe undermines this “us and them” dynamic. Jesus calls every person to be his disciple, loving God and neighbor alike. He praises truth and goodness wherever he encounters them, even amidst the opposition.

It bears no repeating that Americans live in an increasingly polarized political climate. I have also seen this dynamic play out in my research in eastern Africa where ethnicity, party, religion, and generation (Gen Z vs. the Gerontocracy) have become major social dividers. One of the great dangers of polarization is the collective stereotyping that accompanies it. We know what these people are like before we even encounter them, and we know they are bad. Rather than a unique subject of inestimable dignity, the individual human person is subsumed beneath a categorization. It is hard to even encounter the person outside their perceived “tribal” loyalties and identities. (Carney, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Love God with one's whole self,” by Gregory of Nyssa, 330-395 AD

"Human life consists in a threefold unity. We are taught similarly by the apostle in what he says to the Ephesians, praying for them that the complete grace of their 'body and soul and spirit' may be preserved at the coming of the Lord. We use the word 'body,' for the nutritive part, the word for the vital, 'soul,' and the word 'spirit' for the intellective dimension. In just this way the Lord instructs the writer of the Gospel that he should set before every commandment that love to God which is exercised with all the heart and soul and mind (Mark 12:30; Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27). This single phrase embraces the human whole: the corporeal heart, the mind as the higher intellectual and mental nature, and the soul as their mediator." (excerpt from ON THE MAKING OF MAN 8.5.10) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 12:28-34  comments that every morning, the first thing that Jews in ancient Israel did was recite the prayer above, a prayer called the Shema. This beautiful prayer proclaims that Israel has only one God, and that he is God over all of creation. He isn’t just one of many “gods” like the idols of neighboring nations; he was and is omnipotent, loving, powerful, and faithful.

Do something different today. Before you leave home, and again as you get ready for bed tonight, pray the Shema. As you recite this prayer, remind yourself that you have only one God. Consider his greatness and the mercy he has shown you, and acknowledge him as Lord. Then, in your own words, tell him that you want to love and serve him with all of your heart and soul, mind and strength. Do it again when you start the day tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Let this consecration develop into a daily habit. Over time, you’ll find yourself more able to love the Lord with everything you are.

“Lord, you alone are my God. I want to love and serve you with everything I am.” (Meditation on Mark 12:28-34, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the reading from 2 Timothy, Paul is portrayed as if in prison to contrast with the Word that cannot be imprisoned. Even in prison, Paul was able to evangelize the Pretorian Guard. The distinction is made between the denial of Jesus and being unfaithful. “We mess up and we sin” but to deny Him is complete rejection. We cannot participate if we deny Him.  Our faith is something to be lived every day even with difficult consequences. The leader’s attempt to embarrass Jesus is an opportunity to present the Great Commandment. Jesus proclaims our command to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength. “Mind” is not in the Hebrew Great Commandment and Friar Jude comments that “heart” is our intellect, soul is “time of persecution when “our very soul” is threatened", “strength” is our physical possessions and  “mind” probably refers to our “conscience.” Faith is both vertical and horizontal. Jesus declares closeness to the Kingdom of the Scribe who recognizes the proclamation of God's truth.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who reflects on the liberating impact of receiving unconditional love.

In any relationship, fierce love causes us to cross boundaries and borders to discover one another, to support one another, to heal one another. When we do this, when we go crazy with affection, and offer wild kindness to our neighbor across the street or across the globe, we make a new kind of space between us. We make space for discovery and curiosity, for learning and growing. We make space for sharing stories and being changed by what we share. This is the space of the border, of “mestizaje”, of both/and. It’s the kind of space where we can enhance our knowing with what the other knows; we can develop this kind of knowing, which W. E. B. Du Bois called “double consciousness.” We can learn to see the world not only through our own stories, through our own eyes, but also through the stories and worldview of the so-called other. This is the kind of space that changes us, that grows empathy, this is ubuntu…. We simply must open our eyes, look across the room, the street, the division, the border—and reach out to that neighbor, offering our hand, our compassion, and our heart. (Rohr, 2026)

We contemplate the Love we experience through the Spirit and seek the guidance to be wise in our practice of this love with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

References

Carney, J. (2026, June 4). Daily Reflection June 4, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-4-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22? 

Meditation on Mark 12:28-34. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/04/1584966/ 

Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?4 

Rohr, R. (2026, June 3). Resisting Definition — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/resisting-definition/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Love the Lord with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/2? 

Providence Prayer and Forgiveness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us to seek and accept the support of God through prayer and forgiveness of our debts as we also forgive our debtors.

Prayer for Forgiveness

The Reading from the Book of Daniel proclaims the Prayer of Azariah

* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures.

* [3:25] Azariah: i.e., Abednego; cf. Dn 1:7. (“Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB,” n.d.)

Psalm 25 mixes ardent pleas with expressions of confidence in God.

* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (“Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB,” n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches forgiveness with The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

* [18:21–35] The final section of the discourse deals with the forgiveness that the disciples are to give to their fellow disciples who sin against them. To the question of Peter how often forgiveness is to be granted (Mt 18:21), Jesus answers that it is to be given without limit (Mt 18:22) and illustrates this with the parable of the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:23–34), warning that his heavenly Father will give those who do not forgive the same treatment as that given to the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:35). Mt 18:21–22 correspond to Lk 17:4; the parable and the final warning are peculiar to Matthew. That the parable did not originally belong to this context is suggested by the fact that it really does not deal with repeated forgiveness, which is the point of Peter’s question and Jesus’ reply.

* [18:22] Seventy-seven times: the Greek corresponds exactly to the LXX of Gn 4:24. There is probably an allusion, by contrast, to the limitless vengeance of Lamech in the Genesis text. In any case, what is demanded of the disciples is limitless forgiveness.

* [18:24] A huge amount: literally, “ten thousand talents.” The talent was a unit of coinage of high but varying value depending on its metal (gold, silver, copper) and its place of origin. It is mentioned in the New Testament only here and in Mt 25:14–30.

* [18:26] Pay you back in full: an empty promise, given the size of the debt.

* [18:28] A much smaller amount: literally, “a hundred denarii.” A denarius was the normal daily wage of a laborer. The difference between the two debts is enormous and brings out the absurdity of the conduct of the Christian who has received the great forgiveness of God and yet refuses to forgive the relatively minor offenses done to him.

* [18:34] Since the debt is so great as to be unpayable, the punishment will be endless.

* [18:35] The Father’s forgiveness, already given, will be withdrawn at the final judgment for those who have not imitated his forgiveness by their own. (“Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB,” n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer shares thoughts about Jesus telling us that we must forgive our brethren not seven times, but seventy-seven times, as in today’s Gospel lesson.

Forgiveness asks only that we clear OUR hearts.  The ‘other’ then has their own decision to make, in terms of what they choose to do with our forgiveness.

Jesus wants to help us clear our hearts of such pain.  God’s promise of love is actualized when we can lay down the burden of anger, hatred, or frustration, even when the pain of a physical loss, injury, or death are the outcome requiring a compassionate response. NOT forgiving can deepen and prolong the pain we already carry.  True forgiveness can heal it.  Jesus is asking us to forgive, always, as he so eloquently did on the Cross.  I pray that with God’s help, I’ll be able to meet that call each and every time. Amen. (Grassmeyer, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “A daily remedy for our sins,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. Let us say this sentence with sincerity, because it is an alms in itself. Sins that oppress and bury us cannot be termed trifles! What is more minute than drops of rain? Yet they fill the rivers. What is more minute than grains of wheat? Yet they fill the barns. You note the fact that these sins are rather small, but you do not take note that there are many of them. In any case, God has given us a daily remedy for them." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1) (Schwager, n.d.)

 

Friar Jude Winkler notes the hymn in the Book of Daniel is proclaimed when the young men including Azariah are thrown into the furnace and need God’s intervention. In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter asks about forgiving an infinite number of times and Jesus cites that there is no limit for forgiveness. God has forgiven us and we forgive others because of their need and we recognize their brokenness. Friar Jude comments that we may have to keep some toxic people at arm’s length. He cites the observation that resentment is poison for us as Nelson Mandella knew and warned us against.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Daniel 3:25, 34-43 comments that in this dangerous situation, Azariah does what he has always done, in good times and bad: he turns to the Lord and prays. His habit of praying in every situation has become so ingrained in him that he naturally turns to prayer even in the most dire circumstances. So let’s use this prayer as a model for ourselves.

Like Azariah, we should always start our prayer with God himself.

Like Azariah, we should confess our wrongdoing and repent for ourselves and on behalf of God’s people.

Third, Azariah promises that Israel will “follow [God] unreservedly.” 

Finally, Azariah asks God to bless his people. 

May we all follow Azariah’s example as we come to the Lord in prayer in good times and in bad!

“Lord, teach me to pray, especially when it is difficult.” (“Meditation on Daniel 3:25, 34-43,” n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Barbara Brown Taylor who describes the suffering we experience when we live from a sense of disconnection.

Repentance begins with the decision to return to relationship: to accept our God-given place in community, and to choose a way of life that increases life for all members of that community. Needless to say, this often involves painful changes, which is why most of us prefer remorse to repentance. We would rather say, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I feel really, really awful about what I have done” than actually start doing things differently.…

“All sins are attempts to fill voids,” wrote the French philosopher Simone Weil. Because we cannot stand the God-shaped hole inside of us, we try stuffing it full of all sorts of things, but it refuses to be filled. It rejects all substitutes…. It is the holy of holies inside of us, which only God may fill….

I do not believe that sin is the enemy we often make it out to be, at least not when we recognize it and name it as such. When we see how we have turned away from God, then and only then do we have what we need to begin turning back. Sin is our only hope, the fire alarm that wakes us up to the possibility of true repentance. (Rohr, 2025)

We ask the Spirit to guide our wisdom in our prayer, contemplation, and action to understand and act to be people of freedom through forgiveness.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?25 

Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-10-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?21 

Meditation on Daniel 3:25, 34-43. (n.d.). Word Among Us. https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/10/1515595/ 

Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?4 

Rohr, R. (2025, March 13). Disconnected Living. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/disconnected-living/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). How Often Shall I Forgive? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/