Carol Freire
St. Venantius Fortunatus Writing Group
In response to a question from a scribe, Jesus says that the first of all commandments is “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:29–30).
One might be compelled to ask why we should love God. It’s a fair question, as we can only follow the first commandment if we understand why we ought to do so. Why should we love God? The famous quote from St. Augustine’s Confessions best answers this question: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” To love and to be loved is an intrinsic human desire. And only God can fulfill this desire because He is the source of love—Love itself! “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Once we understand the why, we can proceed to the how, and that’s when we usually stray. The greatest commandment can be daunting to someone new to Christianity. Even faithful believers are sometimes disheartened by it. What does it mean to love with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength? As broken creatures, are we capable of anything other than broken love?
Love is a choice, not a feeling. We choose whether we want (or not) to put our attention to love, to act with love. And because God is Love itself, the first commandment impels us to choose God in every moment of our lives by applying all our human faculties: intuition (heart), imagination (soul), reason (mind), and will (strength). Rather than an unattainable ideal, the first commandment is a practical recipe for daily living. Like ingredients in a recipe, all these parts of ourselves come together to create a beautiful loaf of love, nourishing our souls and drawing us closer to God.
To love God with all one’s heart is to choose love despite one’s initial negative emotion. When being wronged, instead of clenching our fist and losing our temper, we invite God into our heart and offer the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). Regardless of our feelings toward someone or something, we direct our heart to God, who is Goodness and Truth itself, and can transform any circumstances through love.
To love God with all one’s soul is to glorify God through one’s imagination by cultivating the daily habits of reading the Scriptures and praying. Seeing God in the ordinary, contemplating His infinite majesty and higher plans, and being open to hearing His voice are also ways to love God with our imagination.
To love God with one’s mind is to use one’s intellect to recognize and contemplate God as the eternal, transcendent creator of the universe and everything in it. We can’t love what we don’t know, so to truly love God we must learn about Him, His words and works. From the books we read and films we watch to the intellectual work we produce, our minds must be directed to God.
To love God with all one’s strength is to align one’s will to God’s will and use one’s physical abilities for the glory of God and the service of others. This last piece of God’s greatest commandment invites us to go further, as “agape love” is the final ingredient in the recipe: the yeast that makes the loaf of love rise above our human nature.
The Greek word agape refers to the highest form of love that transcends mere feelings, emphasizing choice, action, and commitment. Agape love embodies selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditional care for others. It’s the kind of love that arises in the midst of suffering and is concerned with the greatest good of another, rather than the self.
To choose love when things are well is commendable and honorable, but to love when things don’t go our way, when others turn their backs, and when God seems silent—that is sacrificial love! That is the meaning of the cross. Jesus loved us even when we turned away and crucified Him. He loved us and the Father with all His strength, unto death. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Agape love does not come naturally to us in our sinful state. However, such love is an integral part of God. By drawing closer to Him, we can love Him back and radiate His love to others. Only through Him can we begin to understand and experience real love. Only in Him, can our restless hearts finally rest.