The Great Commandment

Loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves, as Jesus told the earnest and sincere Scribe, were the greatest commandments, There is no other commandment greater than these.  (Mk 12:31).  simply said, but not so simply put into action.  Do we know the God we profess to love?  Could we describe God as beautifully as does the prophet Hosea?  A healer, a lover, a provider, a cultivator who make lilies bloom, trees grow tall and strong as do the cedars of Lebanon, or the olive trees that bear the fruit that provides nutrition and oil for light, cooking, and soothing?  (See Hosea14: 2-10) Have we experienced this God personally in our own lives?  Is this the God we say we love?
And in loving our neighbor as ourselves,  who is the self we love?  Do we know ourselves, accept ourselves?  Are we genuinely who we are when we interface with others, or do we hide ourselves behind a mask?
Who is this "neighbor" we claim to love?   Does it include everyone, even those with whom we disagree, or find difficult, who act as sandpaper on our backs?  
Hard questions.  That's what Lent is for, that's what today is for.  Let us take time to reflect, see clearly, and work on changing what needs to be changed to bring us closer to fulfilling this great commandment.
Bro. Rene