Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 11-04-12, Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 11-04-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

November 4, 2012

 

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Reading 1 Dt 6:2-6

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Reading 2 Heb 7:23-28

Brothers and sisters:
The levitical priests were many
because they were prevented by death from remaining in office,
but Jesus, because he remains forever,
has a priesthood that does not pass away.
Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son,
who has been made perfect forever.

Gospel Mk 12:28b-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "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."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
'He is One and there is no other than he.'
And 'to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself'
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 12:28-34

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Which is the first of all the com­mandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this… . The second is this.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Love God and love your neigh­bor. The wisdom of these words may not strike us with the freshness that they would have conveyed to Jesus’ audience. The idea that the first and greatest command is to love God with all our hearts and souls wasn’t a new thought. It’s recorded in a much older reading in the Hebrew Scriptures (Deuteronomy 6:5). But the idea that loving one another is just as important was much more groundbreaking.

Jesus considered these two com­mands bound so closely together that he taught that if someone is offering a gift at the altar—loving God— and remembers that his brother has something against him, he must leave his gift and go love his brother first (Matthew 5:23-24). And John could write: “Whoever does not love a brother and sister, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

There’s something about loving God with our whole hearts that nat­urally flows into loving other people. Perhaps it is because God has cre­ated us in his own image. There’s a picture of him, a treasure from him, in each of us. So when we see each other, we are seeing a reflection of the Lord. Or maybe it’s because God loves each of us with such fierce devotion that for us not to share that love with each other would be an offense to him. Or maybe it’s both!

In the end, it doesn’t matter which approach is best. What mat­ters is that you do something about it! God has called us to love each other just as fully as we love him. That’s not always an easy task, and some people seem determined to make it even harder for us. But our Father is ready to help. He is wait­ing for us to take the first step. Then he will respond with divine grace to soften our hearts.

“Lord, show me the treasures you have placed in all the people around me—especially those I find hardest to love!”

Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Psalm 18:1-4, 47, 51; Hebrews 7:23-28

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. In the First Reading, the Great Commandment to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” is first spoken to the people by Moses. He then tells them to “Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today” (Deuteronomy 6:6). How well do you “take to heart” these words?

2. The Responsorial Psalm continues the theme of the First Reading, “I love you, O Lord, my strength.” The psalmist goes on to proclaim some of the reasons for his great love for the Lord. What are some of them? How would you proclaim your reasons for loving the Lord?

3. How would you describe the difference between Jesus’ priesthood and the Levitical priesthood, as presented in the Second Reading? Why is Jesus’ priesthood so much more powerful than theirs, especially in its impact on our lives through the sacrifice of the Mass?

4. In the Gospel, Jesus repeats the words of Moses from the First Reading and adds the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” He then says, “There is no other commandment greater than these.” Why is this so? What are the obstacles you encounter during the day that keeps you from obeying these commandments more faithfully in your everyday life? What steps can you take to remove some of these obstacles?

5. The meditation describes two reasons why we are called to love others: 1) “loving God with our whole hearts” so that it “naturally flows into loving other people” and 2) “because God loves each of us with such fierce devotion that for us not to share that love with each other would be an offense to him.” Which of these reasons resonates most with you? Why? Are there some steps you need to take to love God more wholeheartedly or to open yourself more to a greater experience of his love for you?

6. Take some time now to pray and ask for the grace to see the Lord’s presence in others, no matter what kind of relationship you have with them right now. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

 

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

LOVE IS GOD’S MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT

(A biblical refection on THE 31^st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 4 NOVEMBER, 2012) 

Gospel Reading: Mark 12:28-34 

First Reading: Deut 6:2-6; Psalms: Ps 18:2-4,47,51; Second Reading: Heb 7:23-28 

The Scripture Text

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and 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.” And the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher; You have truly said that He is one, and there is no other but He; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that He answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask Him any question. (Mk 12:28-34 RSV) 

Jesus praised the scribe for understanding that love is God’s most important commandment. Love of God and love of neighbor – these were the great commandments, Jesus told him. And the man agreed wholeheartedly.

But it is not as easy as it sounds. Real love is a great challenge to us – modern women and men – greater than ever before. We – especially people of big cities – have too many material comforts, and that tends to make people selfish. In the old days people had to struggle hard and give up much for the basic family and community needs. Children had to work hard on farms to help keep the family alive; families had to give generously of their own time and materials to build churches and community centers. This had its drawbacks, but it was a genuine gift of self, a human response, cooperation for the common needs. And it developed a sense of responsibility.

Today we do not automatically feel this great for each other. And how many people are lonely and starved for true love! An increasing flood of false literature gives a wrong picture of what human love is. If you do not have shiny teeth and soft hair and rosebud perfume, nobody will love you. We laugh at these ridiculous TV commercials, but they seep into our thinking. They make us want to get instead of give. Love then becomes a mere surface attraction which has nothing to do with real love.

What a tragedy if a beautiful home with color TV, two fine cars and all the rest, is an unhappy home, because true love is missing. There is no real love which is not open and generous and sacrificing and well-disciplined. God is love, and only those who live in real love can live in God. True love goes out of self to others. If genuine love does not actively grow and flourish in the family, how can it go out to others? Here is the parents’ first responsibility: to teach real love to their children, by having it themselves. They must learn love in order to learn of God, for God is love. 

Short Prayer: Jesus, teach me to love because God is love, and only those who live in real love can live in God. Amen. 

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

WHY CHARLIE CHAPLIN GOT IT RIGHT

(A biblical refection on THE 31st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 4 November, 2012) 

First Reading: Deut 6:2-6; Psalms: Ps 18:2-4,47,51; Second Reading: Heb 7:23-28; Gospel Reading: Mk 12:28-34 

On Christmas Day 1977, the world’s most celebrated and controversial comedian died. A genius of the silent films, Charlie Chaplin left behind him miles of film featuring the pathetic and lovable little tramp. He also wrote a brilliant autobiography, detailing his life of trials, triumphs and disappointments. At the time of his birth, his mother was a singer on the variety stage; a year later, his parents separated and his mother was left to support the two children. Everything went reasonably well until his mother’s voice grew progressively worse through laryngitis. Engagements fell to nothing; their savings soon vanished; his mother’s belongings were sold to supplement a tiny income from her dressmaking.

Chaplin recalled that they lived in a world of cheerless twilight, but that the love they shared sustained them. He wrote: “I remember an evening in our own room in the basement of Oakley Street. I lay in bed recovering from a fever. Mother and I were alone. It was late afternoon, and she sat with her back to the window reading, acting and explaining the New Testament and Christ’s love and pity for the poor and for little children. She read into the dusk, stopping only to light the lamp, then told of the faith Jesus inspired in the sick. She described Jesus and His arrest and His calm dignity before Pontius Pilate. And in His last dying agony crying out: ‘My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’

“Mother had me so carried away that I wanted to die that very night to meet Jesus. But Mother was not so enthusiastic. ‘Jesus wants you to live first and fulfil your destiny here,’ she said. In that dark room in the basement of Oakley Street, Mother illuminated to me the kindliest light this world has ever known, which has endowed literature and the theatre with their greatest and richest themes: love, pity and humanity.”

Charlie Chaplin summed up Jesus’ life in terms of the kindliest light in the world, one which showed love, pity and humanity. We all have our own way of summing up the importance of Jesus, and in the process we say as much about our own values as we do about the person of Jesus. That practice of summing up what really counts is one we all engage in. And in today’s Gospel we see how Jesus is invited to give His summary of the essence of the Law.

The practice of focusing the mind by summarizing the Law was a popular tradition among rabbis and their pupils. Perhaps the most famous example in Jewish tradition is the student who asked to be taught the essence of the Law while he stood on one leg. His teacher, Hillel, replied: “what you hat for yourself, do not to your neighbour.  This is the whole Law, the rest is commentary; go and learn.”

Jesus gathers up the traditional wisdom of Israel in one statement. The first part of His statement quotes the creed of Judaism, to love the one God who is Lord with your whole person and everything in your power. This creed was contained inside a tiny case called the mezuzah, which was fixed to the doorpost of every Jewish house and to the door of every room inside. No pious Jew could disagree with this part of Jesus’ summary. But alongside this, Jesus places another scriptural passage, to love your neighbour as yourself. For Jesus, it is a combination of these separated texts that makes for the essence of the Law. And it is that combination that has given Christianity its basic commandment for life.

In His reply to the scribe Jesus makes it clear that you cannot compose summaries of the Law while forgetting love of neighbour. The scribe is pleased with Jesus’ reply and adds his own point, that the love of God and neighbour is far more important than any ritual worship. In supporting the scribe’s addition, Jesus places the demands of liturgy far below the demands of active love. This we see clearly developed in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the priest and the levite hurry past the demand for love to attend to the demand for liturgy. As Jesus combines love of God and love of neighbour, so these religious officials disconnect them.

Jesus’ summary of the Law is not an academic pastime, it is a personal challenge to love God wholeheartedly and have tender regard for our neighbour in actively promoting His good, just as we should want to do in our own case. That is not only Jesus’ digest of the Law, it is also the Gospel portrait of Jesus. That is why Charlie Chaplin’s concise summing up of Jesus is right. The man whose pants were too baggy, whose coat was too tight, whose hat was too small, whose shoes were too big summed up Jesus with Gospel accuracy: “Love, pity, compassion.” All the rest is commentary.

Note: Taken from Fr. Denis McBride CSsR, SEASONS OF THE WORD – Reflections on the Sunday Readings, Chawton, Alton, Hants.: Redemptorist Publications, 1993 (Third Printing), pages 354-355. 

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for November 4, 2012:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12:31) This presumes that you do indeed have a humble but honest self-love. Keep yourself healthy as a gift to your spouse. This includes exercising and not smoking or drinking excessively.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scrpture Study

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

November 4, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Deuteronomy 6:2-6

Psalm: 18:2-4,47,51

Second Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28

Gospel Reading: Mark 12:28b-34

• Last week we heard about blind Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mark 10:45-52). We now fast-forward two chapters later. Jesus is now in Jerusalem and in the midst of his opponents, the scribes, Pharisees, and Saducees; it is after his triumphal entry (on Palm Sunday, Mark 11:1-10) and before his Passion (Holy Thursday, Mark 14:12ff).

• The scribes were the scholars and intellectuals of Judaism. Their scholarship was the knowledge of the Jewish Law, which they regarded as the sum of wisdom and the only true learning. Their position in the Jewish community was a respected position of leadership.

• Jesus was a threat to their influence which is why most New Testament references show them hostile to him. This Sunday’s story is unique in that it portrays a friendly, rather than a controversial, discussion between Jesus and a scribe.

• This particular scribe has been impressed with Jesus’ earlier reply to the Saducees, another religious group that opposed Jesus (Mark 12:18-27). This scribe wants to learn more.

 

QUESTIONS:

• In the 2^nd Reading, we are told that Christ, our High Priest, is sinless and perfectly holy.What does it mean to be “holy”?  In what respect can you call all priests holy? In what does their holiness consist?

• In the Gospel Reading, why are these two commandments (verses 29-31) the greatest? How do the Ten Commandments relate to these two?

• Why do you think Jesus emphasized loving God with our heart, soul, and mind? How is loving God related to loving other people?

• What do you think Jesus meant by telling the scribe that he was “not far” from the kingdom of God? Was Jesus commenting on his understanding of theology, or his faith?

• In the three possibilities of love relationships (with God, neighbors, and self), where are you the strongest? The weakest?

• What does it mean to love your neighbor as you do yourself? How do you love yourself? How does that apply to the way you love your neighbor?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 202, 228, 2196, 2816-2821

 

‘Whoever does not love does not know God.’ Why? Because ‘God is Love.’ (1 John 4:7) What more can be said, my Brothers? If one did not find one word in praise of love through this epistle, nor the least word throughout all the other pages of Scripture, and we heard only this one word from the voice of the Spirit of God: Because 'God is Love,' we should seek for nothing more.   -St. Augustine

[Salvation]

Hear O Israel, and Remember!

Pastor’s Column

31^st Sunday Ordinary Time

November 4, 2012

 

“Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God

with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your heart, with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

                                                          Mark 12:28-30

 

 

          What are the guiding principles of my life? Christ makes it clear that if we put what is important to God first, God will guide everything else and we will be prepared for eternal life! If my life is not pleasing to God, on the other hand, I will be like a shopping cart with a bent wheel—that wants to go its own way, or a pen that skips and doesn’t write as it was meant to.

 

          The Jews call the first part of this passage the great shema, which is Hebrew for hear. To this day pious Jews can sometimes be seen placing this text over a doorframe of their house (a mezuzah) or wearing it on their wrists or foreheads in little boxes (phylacteries).   How differently we might live if we had this scripture as the first thing we read when opening our cell phone or when leaving the house! And what a great way to end the day: a brief review of how I loved God, and how I loved my neighbor.

 

          Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta once pointed out that it is much easier for us to love our neighbor who is far away than the one who is close by. It is wonderful to donate to charities that help the poor or distressed that we will never meet, but what about my “neighbors” around me? This can be a bit more problematic at times.

 

          Prayer and Mass attendance are essential in the life of an active Catholic, but the only way we can know for sure that we love God is when we come out of church or prayer and are driving home! My “neighbors” are all the people God has given me in my life: work, family, extended relatives, friends, people at church, acquaintances, and people we meet by chance each day (especially the problematic ones). When you think about it, these people and the interactions we have with them are the primary vehicles by which we will demonstrate our love for God in this world. In fact, our entire future in heaven depends precisely on how we treat others.  We have heard once again what is most important to God, but will we remember?

                                                                                              

                                                                             Father Gary

[Salvation]

St. Paul Center Blog

The Law of Love: Scott Hahn Reflects on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 10.31.12 |

Love is the only law we are to live by. And love is the fulfillment of the Law that God reveals through Moses in today’s First Reading (see Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 5:43-48).

The unity of God—the truth that He is one God, Father, Son, and Spirit—means that we must love Him with one love, a love that serves Him with all our hearts and minds, souls and strength.

We love Him because He has loved us first. We love our neighbor because we can’t love the God we haven’t seen unless we love those made in His image and likeness, whom we have seen (see 1 John 4:19-21).

And we are called imitate the love that Christ showed us in laying His life down on the cross (see 1 John 3:16). As we hear in today’s Epistle, by His perfect sacrifice on the cross, He once and for all makes it possible for us to approach God.

Readings:
Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Psalm 18:2-4,47,57
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 12:28-34

There is no greater love than to lay down your life (see John 15:13). This is perhaps why Jesus tells the scribe in today’s Gospel that he is not far from the kingdom of God.

The scribe recognizes that the burnt offerings and sacrifices of the old Law were meant to teach Israel that it is love that He desires (see Hosea 6:6). The animals offered in sacrifice were symbols of the self-sacrifice, the total gift of our selves that God truly desires.

We are called today to examine our hearts. Do we have other loves that get in the way of our love for God? Do we love others as Jesus has loved us (see John 13:34-35)? Do we love our enemies and pray for those who oppose and persecute us (see Matthew 5:44)?

Let us tell the Lord we love Him, as we do in today’s Psalm. And let us take His Word to heart, that we might prosper and have life eternal in His kingdom, the heavenly homeland flowing with milk and honey.

[Salvation]

31st Sunday: What's most important?

 

"You are not far from the kingdom of God"

The Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110412.cfm

 

Deut 6: 2-6
Hb 7: 23-2

Mk 12: 28-34

“What is our reason for loving God? God himself is the reason we love him; we love him because he is the supreme and infinite goodness. What is our reason for loving ourselves? Surely because we are the image and likeness of God. And since all men and women possess this same dignity we love them as ourselves, that is, as holy and living images of the Godhead.

It must always be understood, however, that we love our neighbors for this reason, that they are made in the image and likeness of God, created to communicate in his goodness, share in his grace, and rejoice in his glory.

To have a Christian love for our neighbors is to love God in them, or them in God; it is to cherish God alone for his own sake, and his creatures for love of him.”

St. Francis de Sales

Francis de Sales, the 17^th century Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland, known for his gentleness and charity, wrote these words above.  He has become known as the “Gentleman Saint.” That surely implies a way in which he presented himself to others and the way in which he would deal with people on a day to day basis.  A gentleman or lady implies respectful behavior, good example, politeness, a proper composure, appropriate dress, acceptability, and other such sort of social qualities. The above quote reflects our readings this Sunday on the love of God and neighbor.

Yet, some may view the polite and respectful as those who really are just a stuffed shirt and unwilling to break loose and take chances or live on the edge. But, what God asks of us in our readings this week casts itself back thousands of years – to that moment when God revealed himself to the ancient Hebrew people on Mt. Sinai through Moses, his chosen messenger. We're not called to be stuffed shirts but to relate with the living and true God.

As the Book of Deuteronomy proclaims today, what is referred to as the great Shema: “Hear , O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.  Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.”

God speaks to the people of Israel to resist compromise with foreign false gods and to turn their entire being, heart, mind, soul, and strength, to the living and loving God who has called them to be his people.  Through them, salvation will come to all humankind.

As St. Francis de Sales reminds us, “God himself is the reason we love him; we love him because he is the supreme and infinite goodness.”

We love God because he is God and ourselves and our neighbor because we are made in the image of God.  What could be more fundamental than that?  It implies that we behave in ways that reflect this belief – this command really from God.  It is a command that is pointed not only to a nation – “Hear O Israel” – but also to individuals as well in which God wants faithful individuals to form a faithful community.

This love of God and neighbor, as the two greatest commandments, was somewhat of a test by Jesus of a local scribe.  At the heart of Jewish law, was this fundamental principle based upon the Ten Commandments.  The first Commandment to love God above all other gods (Commandments 1 – 3) and our Neighbor – (Commandments 4 – 10) in Ex 20: 1 – 17, is indeed the summary of all Jewish legal structure.  This was a revelation of the Covenant made between God and humanity.  Certainly not a covenant between equal parties but an desire of the overwhelming love of the creator to relate on a personal level with his creatures at the top of the created order – man and woman. The Scribe was attempting to verify if Jesus knew that for at times his teaching may have sounded a bit more lax or liberal in pushing the edge of literal understanding.

For our Lord clearly expanded the notion of neighbor beyond our fellow Jew.  His reaching out to those considered “unclean” (leper, blind, lame, crippled, tax collectors, adulterers, gentile, etc) raised the legalistic eyebrows of those considered to be experts in the law. Certainly, Jesus’ treatment of women was unprecedented for an honored rabbi. Yet, even in Jewish law charity could be extended to the alien but only love offered to one’s fellow Jew.

Our Catholic tradition should take great pride in what our Church has done to assist the poor and unfortunate; to bring compassion to those who are forgotten and helpless; to educate the ignorant and form them in Gospel values.  Our Catholic sponsored Schools and Universities, our charitable institutions, hospitals and health care facilities all reflect the great mission of the Church. They are charity in action based upon what is always first for us – to orient our life priorities beginning with our faithfulness to God alone. No small task! There is a hierarchy of importance here.  Love God first above all things and then love for your neighbor will follow in kind. Your neighbor begins at home by the way.

Doesn’t love for neighbor begin with a love of God first?  In the case of Christians, it begins with faith in Jesus Christ.  As one follows the other we have the basic structure around which to live our lives. And, as one a seeks out the Spirit’s guidance in our lives, we can live out this great Shema with faithfulness.

At the top of our life pyramid as it were, what (who) do we find? Do I see my neighbor as God sees them?  No, Christian charity is not always easy or comfortable.  But if God is not my most important value, I will naturally find something else to fill that void – and it may not always be of God. Our gatherings at Eucharist are intended to be an illustration of this “faithful community.” What can we learn as a take home lesson from those sacred times?

Fr. Tim

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

Faith-filled love and the greatest commandment

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, November 4, 2012 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Dt 6:2-6
• Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
• Heb 7:23-28
• Mk 12:28-34

What is the most common subject of popular music? Answer: love.

The Beatles claimed “All We Need Is Love.” Robert Palmer confessed he was “Addicted to Love.” “I Want To Know What Love Is” admitted the rock group Foreigner. Mariah Carey had a “Vision of Love.” Queen pondered that “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” A full listing would require a book.

But how many Top Forty songs have been about love for God? You don’t need to be a music critic to recognize that the love referred to in most pop and rock songs is either romantic love or something mistaken for love: infatuation, sexual attraction, or simply lust. What so often passes for love in our culture is actually the complete opposite of authentic love. Instead of being sacrificial, it is self-seeking; rather than giving, it takes; instead of long-suffering, it is short-term. As Pope Benedict XVI remarked in his encyclical, “God Is Love” (Deus Caritas Est), “Eros, reduced to pure ‘sex’, has become a commodity, a mere ‘thing’ to be bought and sold, or rather, man himself becomes a commodity” (par. 5).

The love spoken of by Jesus in today’s Gospel is agape, that is, the Holy Father states, a “love grounded in and shaped by faith” (par. 7). When human love—whether love for a spouse, a child, a friend, or one’s country—is informed, shaped, and filled with God’s love it becomes whole and authentic. Put another way, it is rightly ordered to its proper end, which is God.

The scribe who asked the question, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” apparently did so out of sincere curiosity. He posed the question after overhearing the dispute between Jesus and the Sadducees over the general resurrection of the dead, a belief the Sadducees denied (Mk 12:18-27). This scribe, like all scribes, was an expert in the many technical details of applying the Mosaic Law in specific cases. There were 613 commandments in the Law, so the answer to his question was not  simple or obvious. In responding, Jesus referred immediately and directly to the First Commandment: “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” (Mk 12:29-30; cf. Dt 6:5).

It was this commandment, more than any other, which marked the Hebrews as a unique, chosen people.

“Jesus united into a single precept this commandment of love for God,” writes Pope Benedict, “and the commandment of love for neighbour found in the Book of Leviticus: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (19:18; cf. Mk 12:29-31). Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere ‘command’; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us” (par. 1). How we treat neighbors and strangers alike reveals something essential about our love, or lack of love, for God. As the book of Deuteronomy states, "Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow", and, "Cursed be he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them" (Dt 27:19, 26).

In speaking of Jesus’ response, the Holy Father emphasizes that this love “is not simply a matter of morality.” After all, atheists can give money to the poor and agnostics can build homeless shelters. “Being Christian,” Benedict explains, “is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (par. 1).

Our love is really love when it flows from the heart transformed by the One who first loved us, who created us, and who gave His life for us. This love is not abstract or academic but concrete and personal.

Love is so powerful because it God is love and He made us to be loved and to love others. “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16). Sadly, we live in a world that is out of tune when it comes to real love. It is our joyful duty to sing, with the Psalmist, “I love you, Lord, my strength!”

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in a slightly different form in the October 26, 2008, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

He went in, and took her by the hand

By

Father Mark

 on November 4, 2012 8:53 AM | 

 

The 23rd Sunday After Pentecost

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9,18-26.

As he was speaking these things unto them, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus rising up followed him, with his disciples. And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout, He said: Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. And when the multitude was put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand. And the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that country.

The Prayer of a Father

Jesus is in the midst of speaking. He allows this certain ruler, called Jairus, to interrupt his discourse. Jairus enters the scene suddenly, almost breathlessly. He adores Jesus, that is to say that he falls down before Him. His prayer goes straight to the point. It is simple and artless: "Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." It strikes me that Jairus must have blurted out his prayer after having prepared it in his heart on the way to Jesus. He has even devised a little "sacramental rite" that includes the laying on of Jesus' hand.

God Arises, His Enemies Are Scattered

Jesus, rising up, follows him. The little phrase "rising up" prepares us for a manifestation of Our Lord's divinity. It tells us that He is about to act in a wonderful way. At the same time, Our Lord acts humbly in that, together with His disciples, he follows Jairus. Faith opens the way for Our Lord to act. Faith opens the procession. God in Christ makes Himself obedient to the faith of a man.

The Touch of Faith

There follows an interruption, a delay. Rather inconveniently, a woman long in distress approaches Jesus stealthily on His way. The procession could not have been going very quickly for this sick woman to steal in behind Jesus and touch His garment. It would seem that after obtaining Jesus' consent, there is no need to rush off to the house where Jairus' daughter lies dead.

Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole

The woman, having already decided how to obtain her healing -- another kind of "sacramental rite" -- tries to be discreet, to go unobserved. Her prayer is silent. She repeats within her heart what she has determined to do, saying, "If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed." Jesus, touched by her faith more than by her hand, addresses her, saying, "Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole." The woman's healing, after twelve years of chronic suffering, is instantaneous. Such is the power of faith.

Restored to Life

When Our Lord arrives at the house of Jairus, He sees that, already, the pomp and din of mourning as the world mourns, are in full swing. He calls for silence and calm, announcing that the girl is not dead, but sleeping. And in saying this, he exposes Himself to the mockery and scorn of those who deal in the business of death. The flute-players, wailers, and professional mourners were not there purely out of sympathy for the bereaved; they were there to make some profit out of the girl's death. "An unpleasant business," they reason, "but someone must do it." They resent the arrival of Jesus. Death is threatened in the presence of Life.

When the profiteers of death have been exorcised -- put out of the house -- Jesus enters the girl's room. Rather than touch her, as Jairus asked, Jesus takes her by the hand, thereby giving her life, and breath. She rises from her bed, restored to health. The gesture is the very one seen in the icons of the Harrowing of Hell, where Christ seizes the hands of Adam and Eve to pull them out of death into the radiance of His life.

She Rose

Note the second use of the verb "to rise" in this account. Where Christ rises to act, others rise to life with Him. The devil, on the other hand, forever the fallen angel, causes others to fall into death with him.

Glory to the Prince of Life

What Jesus has done does not remain secret. The news is noised abroad. Like Lazarus, this girl, brought back from the icy grip of death, must have become a sign of contradiction, the subject of whisperings and curiosity. As for her father, what must his gratitude have been to Jesus, the Prince of Life?

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Not Far from the Kingdom

| SPIRITUAL LIFE

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Mark 12:28b-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "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." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ´He is One and there is no other than he.´ And ´to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself´ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Introductory Prayer: Jesus Christ, where else can I turn each day but to you? One day, I will make that final turn to you, and it will last for all eternity. Yet as in everything else, you set the pace, you take the initiative, and you are the protagonist. You will turn and look my way first and I, as I strive daily to do, will respond and gaze back into your eyes. This moment of prayer is a rehearsal for that final turn to you. Amen.

Petition: Lord, teach me to walk the way of generous love.

1. Mapping It Out! All of us can admire complete and faithful love. Christ´s interaction with the scribe in today´s Gospel spells out for us this love. This is the great commandment. This is the key to our lives. This is a simple, all-embracing principle by which to live. Moreover, this is exactly what a "click-here" world wants. We want to simplify our lives. Christ makes the map of our life simple. We need to act out of love for God and unite all our strength, heart, soul and mind in this one endeavor: Love God. Are we complicating our lives unnecessarily?

2. Eyes on the Destination! Jesus Christ has made of his earthly life a perfect example of how we are to live. He demonstrates an unclouded love. He is truly single-hearted! He loves his father with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. We need to keep our eyes on Christ as our final destination. We can imitate him in his love for his Father. As Romano Guardini states, “The Lord’s entire life proceeds from his Father’s will. But it is in this [wisdom] that he is truly himself. He is truly himself in that he does not do his own will, but the will of his Father, and so fulfills the deepest and most private principle of his being. There is a word for this: love!” Could it be simpler?

3. Not Far! If we want to reach a destination, the shortest path is a straight line. When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we straighten our path. When we have other loves, competitive loves, loves that leave God out of our actions, that make us lose momentum and wander in all sorts of directions, we are not going to get close to the Kingdom. Can we not unite everything in a single-hearted love for God? If we do, then every email, phone call, meal, sporting event, errand, business meeting and class -- absolutely everything -- will take us to the Kingdom and not away from it.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I want a single-hearted life. I was made for you, and my heart will be restless until it rests in you. Instruct me in a love for you that will be exercised in all I do today and every day of my life until I surrender my heart, soul, mind and strength to you for all eternity.

Resolution: I will consciously live as much of this day as possible as an exercise of love for God, offering him each moment, activity and prayer.

[Salvation]

Hear, O Israel…

by CE Editor on November 4, 2012 · 

The greatest commandment

The greatest and first commandment is and ever will be “love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk 12:30). At the times when the people of God, throughout the centuries, deepened their understanding of and gave importance to the love of God, then they became aware that the love of God would be real only when it becomes concrete in the love of neighbour. That is why the second commandment to love the neighbour, is similar to the first to love God (Mt 22:39; Mk 12:31). “Anyone who says “I love God’ and hates his brother, is a liar” (1 Jn 4:20). “On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too” (Mt 22,40). At first, it was not clear what the love of neighbour entailed. Concerning this point, there was an evolution in three stages in the history of the people of God:

1^st Stage: “Neighbour” is kindred of the same race The Old Testament already taught the obligation to “love your neighbour as yourself!” (Lv 19:18). In those long distant days, the word neighbour was synonymous with kindred. They felt obliged to love all those who were members of the same family, clan tribe and people. As for foreigners, that is, people who did not belong to the Jewish people, Deuteronomy says: “you may exploit, but you must remit whatever claim you have on your brother (kindred, neighbour)!” (Dt 15:3).

2^nd Stage: “Neighbour is anyone I approach or who approaches me Gradually, the concept of neighbour grew. Thus, in Jesus’ time there was a great discussion as to “who is my neighbour?” Some doctors said that the concept of neighbour had to be extended beyond the limits of race. Others, however, would not hear of this. That is why a doctor went to Jesus with the debated question: “Who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37), where the neighbour was not a relative, nor a friend, nor a nobleman, but the one who approached you, independent of religion, colour, race, sex or language. You must love him!

3^rd Stage: The measure of our love of “neighbour” is to love as Jesus loves us Jesus had said to the doctor of the Law: “You are not far from the kingdom of God!” (Mk 12:34). The doctor was already close to the Kingdom because in fact the Kingdom consists in uniting the love of God with the love of neighbour, as the doctor had solemnly declared in Jesus’ presence (Mk 12:33). But to enter the Kingdom he still needed one more step. The criterion for loving the neighbour as taught in the Old Testament was “as yourself”. Jesus stretches this criterion and says: “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you! No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends!” (Jn 15:12-13). The criterion in the New Testament then is: “To love one’s neighbour as Jesus has loved us!”. Jesus gave the true interpretation of the Word of God and showed the sure way to attain a more just and fraternal way of life.

This reflection is the work of the Carmelites at ocarm.org

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, November 4, 2012 >>

31st Sunday Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Hebrews 7:23-28
View Readings

Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51
Mark 12:28-34

ALL OR NOTHING

"The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today." —Deuteronomy 6:4-6

 

When you ask people if they've given their lives to Jesus, they say "yes." When you ask if they evangelize, tithe, or read the Bible, they often say "no," as if evangelizing, tithing, or knowing the Bible were not essential parts of our commitment to Christ. This does not mean we must be perfect in fulfilling our commitment to Christ, but it does mean that we must make a total commitment.

The first of all commandments is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mk 12:30). The Lord says the word "all" four times. However, most Christians seem to be surprised when you tell them "all" means all.

Christianity is all or nothing. Jesus died on the cross and gave everything for us that we might give everything to Him. If He's not Lord of all, He's not Lord at all. Jesus can save only our entire life and not parts of it. One-hundred percent is the only percent Jesus accepts. His kingdom can be purchased only by our "all" (Mt 13:44-46).

 

Prayer: Jesus, I give You all of me.

Promise: "Therefore He is always able to save those who approach God through Him, since He forever lives to make intercession for them." —Heb 7:25

Praise: Praise Jesus, "the Resurrection and the Life!" (Jn 11:25) "Praised be the Lord, I exclaim" (Ps 18:4). Alleluia!

[Salvation]

"I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born."

~Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, 22 September 1980