Gospel (Mk 12,28-34) - At that time, one of the scribes approached Jesus and asked him: "Which is the first of all the commandments?". Jesus replied: «The first is: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord; you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him: «You have said well, Master, and according to truth, that He is unique and there is no other except Him; loving him with all your heart, with all your intelligence and with all your strength and loving your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all the holocausts and sacrifices." Seeing that he had responded wisely, Jesus said to him: "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one had the courage to question him anymore.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

In the temple of Jerusalem, Jesus meets a scribe. He asks Jesus a true, decisive question: "What is the first of all the commandments?". In fact, all of life depends on it. Jesus does not make him wait for his response. He quotes a passage from Deuteronomy known to all as it is the profession of faith that the pious Israelites recite every day, morning and evening: «Listen, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut 6:4-5). And then he adds: «The second is this: you will love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."
The consensus between Jesus and his interlocutor is in the double commandment of love of God and neighbor; two commandments so united as to be the same thing. Jesus is the one who knows how to love more than anyone and better than anyone. Jesus loves the Father above all things. Throughout the Gospel, the very particular relationship between Jesus and the Father emerges. It is the reason for his very life. The Apostles are taught by the singular trust that he placed in the Father, to the point of calling him by the tender nickname of "dad" ("Abbà"). And how many times did they hear him say that the only purpose of his life was to do the will of God: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me" (Jn 4:34)! Jesus is truly the highest example of how to love God above all else. Jesus also loved men with the same intensity. For this reason "he became flesh". In Scripture we read that Jesus loved men so much that he left heaven (i.e. the fullness of life, happiness, abundance, peace) to be among us. And in his existence there was a crescendo of love and passion for men, up to the sacrifice of his own life. Jesus, who first and fully lived these words, suggests that happiness lies in loving others more than oneself. And this type of love is not learned alone or at the school desks of men; on the contrary, in these places you learn, from an early age, to love yourself and your business above all, against others. The love that Jesus speaks of is received from above, it is a gift from God. The holy liturgy of Sunday is the privileged moment to receive the great gift of love. For this reason, on the day of the Lord, with joyful gratitude, let us approach the altar. We too, like that wise scribe, will hear ourselves repeat: "You are not far from the kingdom of God".