Mark 12:33 (DRB)

Passage

And that he should be loved with the whole heart and with the whole understanding and with the whole soul and with the whole strength. And to love one's neighbour as one's self is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:31 And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

Mark 12:32 And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth that there is one God and there is no other besides him.

Mark 12:33 And that he should be loved with the whole heart and with the whole understanding and with the whole soul and with the whole strength. And to love one's neighbour as one's self is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.

Mark 12:34 And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Mark 12:35 And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say that Christ is the son of David?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "should", "loved", "whole", "heart", "understanding", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "should" and "loved", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 32's "And the scribe said to him Well..." into verse 34's "And Jesus seeing that he had answered...", so "should" and "loved" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "should" and "loved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.