Wednesday. [I Pet. 4:1–11; Mark 12:28–37]

One lawyer asked the Lord: Which is the first commandment of all? The Lord answered: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:28, 30–31). This also serves as a supplement to the portrayal of the hidden man of the heart. Sanctifying the Lord is his spirit, and love—his soul; all the other virtues are his various members—arms, legs, eyes, ears, tongue. Remembrance of this is very needful, because it sometimes happens that, considering the doing of good to be the final virtue, people think they can get by with only this, not thinking about the Lord, and forgetting about love. Doing good without faith and a desire to please God is not holy; it is like a house that has not been blessed, or a room without icons. Without love, the doing of good is like a building filled with lifeless sculptures, succumbing to mustiness and mould. Pay attention to this, each of you; and setting out to create a new person in yourself, try to place him before the Lord, who is without any flaw.