The good scribe

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.  And no one dared to ask him any more questions.. (Mark 12: 28-34)

Jesus had revealed to Saint Augustine that he who sincerely seeks him has actually already found him. This seems to be the case with the scribe, who does not interrogate Jesus in order to entrap him but because he thirsts for the Truth which Jesus himself is. To desire the Truth fervently and with purity of intention, therefore, is to love Christ. Let us sincerely search for Jesus, like the good scribe, so not to be far from the Kingdom of God.