“You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart.”

Jesus is once again tested by a scholar of the law.  He asks, “What is the greatest commandment?”  Jesus responds that it is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind.  He immediately binds love of God to love of neighbor. The essence of the over 600 commandments in Jewish law are summed up into two that Jesus argues are inseparable.  Not only does this summarize the whole law, but also the messages given by the prophets. Unless we can connect these two loves in our day-to-day lives, we are really only working for ourselves.  Religious observance, as important as it is, becomes merely an activity with no connection to our neighbor, no connection to mission. 

Are these commandments just beautiful sentiments or are we ready to take love of God and love of neighbor to the limit?