Fully Human Love

Mark 12:28-34

Father Mark’s sermon on the story of Lazarus emphasizes the compassionate, incarnational nature of Jesus, who does not remain distant from human suffering but fully embraces it. In his encounter with Mary and Martha, Jesus is deeply moved, disturbed, and even weeps for Lazarus—showing that God does not stay on the sidelines but enters fully into human grief and loss. This image of Christ as deeply embedded in human life, not detached or above it, challenges believers to remember that Jesus embodies empathy, humility, and love, not the divisive or power-seeking tendencies so common today.

Father Mark warns against “cultural Christianity,” where faith becomes captive to political and cultural ideologies instead of being shaped by the transformative love and grace of Christ. Rather than seeing Jesus as a figure who endorses our biases or conflicts, he encourages us to recognize the kingdom of God as something within us—a call to live according to the radical love of Jesus, which includes forgiveness, humility, and unity. As All Saints Sunday reminds us of our unity in the body of Christ, we are challenged to transcend the divisions and animosities of our culture, moving instead toward a shared identity as children of God, called to live in communion with one another.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.