Catholic Men’s Daily Devotional – Ninth Week in Ordinary Time – Thursday – Mark 12:28-34

In stark contrast to the previous malformed men in Mark 12 who attack and attempt to demean Jesus, the scribe approaches Jesus with respect and an earnest desire to learn.  Jesus, able to read men’s hearts, responds with graciousness.

The scribe, whose vocation is to study scripture, has been pondering the great complexity of the Old Testament’s 613 commandments and seeks Jesus’ help.  Jesus immediately responds with a perfect synthesis of massive complexity of the Old Covenant into the Two Great Commandments. The first, from the great Jewish Shema (Deut 6:4-5), refers to man’s relationship with God and the second, from Leviticus 19:18, refers to man’s relationship with other men. Christ’s teaching is also a synthesis of the 10 Commandments: “to love God” summarizes Commandments 1-3 and “to love neighbor” summarizes Commandments 4-10.

The scribe, recognizing Christ’s remarkable answer, now calls Him “teacher” and praises Christ’s wisdom.  Christ responds with a powerful authority that assesses the scribe’s closeness to the Kingdom of Heaven; the crowd is stunned into silence.

Awed by Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ, the Divine Prophet with Divine Wisdom, authoritatively offers the synthesis of the complex Old Covenant into Two Great Commandments.  Divine Teacher, He explains and teaches men who earnestly seeking the Truth. Divine King and Judge, reveals the state of the scribe’s soul.

Being a Heroic Catholic Man

1) Marvel at Christ’s Divine Wisdom that understands the complexity of all things and is able to teach truth to even the simplest man.

2) As a Person of the Trinity, Christ purposefully inspired men to write both the Old and New Testament; all Scripture reveals Christ. With just gratitude, a hunger to know Jesus and a desire for your own peace, commit to read and study God’s great gift of Scripture.

3) Like the scribe, Christ knows and is concerned about the state of your soul. Strive to become the saint Christ calls you to be.  He is paying attention.

Spiritual Practices – Include in Today’s Prayers

Sacred Mystery of Rosary – The Luminous Mysteries

Daily Devotion – The Holy Eucharist

Virtue of the Day – Fortitude