The prayer that all Jews first learn is the Shema. We hear it in today’s First Reading. In a Jewish home, this prayer is written on small scrolls as fastened near the entrance door. This is known as the mezzuzah. The Shema is a daily affirmation of allegiance to God and obedience to the covenants bound in this allegiance.

This prayer reminds us that God is to be loved and obeyed. This prayer is said several times a day and a faithful Jews desires to say it upon waking and lying down, especially as the final prayer as one approaches death.

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.”

Here is a recording of a Jew singing this prayer:

In the Gospel, Jesus recalls the Shema as the most important commandment. As an observant Jew, he knew this prayer well. Not only are we to love God with our all, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. This manner of loving is the greatest sacrifice we can offer God.

If this is true then we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us move beyond convenient love. We must love the poor, the enemy, those outside our own sound chambers. All of us are images of God. If loving our neighbor is key to loving God with our all, then perhaps Dorothy Day was on to something when she said that we only love God as much as the person we love the least.

Aspire for love! It is the greatest commandment.