Today’s readings track our Lord’s
direction in Mark
12:28-34 that we should love God with full intensity and our neighbors as
our selves. Consider the following excerpts from those readings, highlighted
below.
Loving God:
“Be glad in the LORD, you just, and give thanks to his holy name.”
“Be vigilant at all times and pray” “stay awake”
“God did not call us to impurity but to holiness”
“The LORD loves those who hate evil”
“Be glad in the LORD, you just, and give thanks to his holy name.”
“Be vigilant at all times and pray” “stay awake”
“God did not call us to impurity but to holiness”
“The LORD loves those who hate evil”
Loving our
neighbors as our selves:
[“Do] not [] take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister”
“Justice and judgment are the foundation of [God’s] throne.”
[“Do] not [] take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister”
“Justice and judgment are the foundation of [God’s] throne.”
“Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart”
Brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and
exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God–and as you are conducting yourselves– you do so even more. For you
know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
This is the will of God, your holiness: that
you refrain from immorality, that each of you know how to acquire a
wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as do the
Gentiles who do not know God; not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this
matter, for the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before
and solemnly affirmed. For
God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore,
whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives
his Holy Spirit to you.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let
the many isles be glad. Justice
and judgment are the foundation of his throne. The mountains melt like
wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his
justice, and all peoples see his glory. The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the
lives of his faithful ones; from the hand of the wicked he delivers them. Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart. Be glad in the LORD, you just, and give thanks to
his holy name.
Be
vigilant at all times and pray, that you may have the strength
to stand before the Son of Man.
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The
Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to
meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought
no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since
the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’Then all those virgins got up and trimmed
their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for
our lamps are going out.’ But the wise
ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to
the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
While they went off to buy it, the
bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and
said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you,
I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.”
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