"Which is the first of the commandments?"

Today in the liturgy we hear two wonderful readings that balance each other perfectly. Hosea tells us that it is God who begins his relationship with us. ''I will love them with all my heart. They shall bloom like the lily, their shoots will spread far. All your fruitfulness comes from me.'' (Hosea 14:2-10). God loves us first, we respond. The well known writer, Richard Rohr, teaches us not to say, 'God will love me if I change,'' but rather, ''God loves me so that I can change.'' In the gospel from Mark 12:28-34, a scribe asks Jesus, ''Which is the first of the commandments?'' Jesus replies, ''You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and with all your strength. The second is, You must love your neighbour as yourself.'' It is that second part that causes us difficulty. Many people have habits that annoy us, just as we often annoy them. To accept, respect and love all our neighbours, imperfect as they are, becomes not only possible, but a joy when we remember that God loves us first and showers his love upon us every day. One man who discovered this is today's saint, John of God. After a troubled childhood and many years as a soldier, he had compassion on those who were suffering from physical or mental illness and dedicated his life to serving them. Today is also International Womens Day. We thank God for all those women who have been signs of God's life and love for us, and we pray for those women who are not treated with the love and respect they deserve.