June 4, 2026
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mark 12:28–34

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In some dioceses, for pastoral benefit, this feast is transferred to the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. To accommodate those dioceses, this year we provide both the reflection for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and that for Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time.

The Gospel for Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time is taken from the Gospel of Mark and recounts a dialogue between Jesus and a scribe. I would like to offer some reflections.

Saint Mark tells us that a scribe came to Jesus and asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” (cf. Mark 12:28). We can see ourselves in this scribe, for sometimes we too think that by keeping just one of God’s commandments we can attain eternal life. But in Jesus’ view, the Ten Commandments are closely linked and inseparable; not one of them can be set aside. He did not come to abolish the Old Law but to fulfill it. Therefore, He cites a passage from Deuteronomy: “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” (cf. Deut 6:4–5). Then He quotes Leviticus: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (cf. Lev 19:18). Finally, He summarizes: “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 neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (cf. Mark 12:29–31).

Today, each of us is called to be a Christian. Christ, rich in mercy, has proclaimed the Ten Commandments to us through His Church, founded upon Saint Peter. If we are guided by the Holy Spirit, we will no longer view God’s commandments according to the logic of this world—a logic that says God’s law is too profound and burdensome to bear. Rather, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s commandments are not a weight, but a duty we are capable of fulfilling. Now, let us pray together:

O God, whose providence never fails in its design,
keep from us, we humbly beseech you,
all that might harm us
and grant all that works for our good.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica