It is 24th March 2017. The readings are from Hosea 14:2-10; and the Gospel from Mark 12:28-34. What an assurance of love we get from God today in the first reading. This prophecy comes at a time when people worshipped false gods willfully and looking for happiness and prosperity from false prophets and preachers. Disloyalty and spiritual decay were so much visibly noticed in the lives of people and eating them gradually and invading God’s sacred space in the lives of God’s people. During this time, through Hosea, God promises God’s blessings to them even after knowing their hearts go after sins easily. Salvation and happiness is with God always. There is no one and no human skillful security could protect us from the horrible jaws of evil. God vows to heal our unfaithfulness and to love us with the everlasting and unconditional love. “It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress, from me comes your fruit.” (Hos. 14:8). We just need to hold on to God to bloom in our daily lives. Sinful living and our love for sins never bring happiness, peace and security. The responsorial Psalm reminds us, “I am the Lord your God; listen to my warning.” (Ps.80:11). The Gospel teaches us to prioritize God in our loving relationship with one another. This supreme love we have for our God is the true worship that must culminate in our neighbor. God is the foundation, the reason and the meaning of our love. We get the unfailing stamina to love our neighbor from the love of God. Unless we love God, we cannot go on loving the other. We need to offer our 100% in loving God to experience the depth of love of the other. It will be indeed extremely impossible to love the other human beings, when we are incapable of experiencing the fountain of love and the wellspring of all love that is God. If our priority to love shifts from God to our neighbor, we might end up in humanism, guilt, pity, sentiments, seeking recognition and appreciation. The altruistic love is what leads us to go beyond the ego and nepotism. May God help us to love God and our neighbor in our day today living. May you have a good day.