Father Michael Posted October 31, 2021 Posted October 31, 2021 (edited) October 31st, 2021 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus addresses the Scribe A Message from Father †Michael Today’s Theme: “Two loves that cannot be separated” Reflections on Today’s Scripture Prayed morning and evening by devout Jews, the Sh’ma Yisrael (Hear, O Israel) is a profound expression of faith and an imperative of morality. In a few brief verses, it embodies the religious tenets of Judaism: absolute monotheism; the absolute personal and sustained involvement of the “one God” with His people; and the quality of the response offered to such a Reality. Our First Reading sets forth the covenant and its obligations necessary for fulfillment of God’s promise of a land “flowing with milk and honey”(Deuteronomy 6:2-6.) It further designates the Lord as Yahweh, the One, True God. ~~~ Continuing the comparison of Christ’s perfect priesthood to the imperfect priesthood exercised by priests of the Old Covenant, our Second Reading describes Jesus’ death as the offering of Himself, “once, for all,” for the atonement for sin (Hebrews 7:23-28.) This put an end to the necessity or validity of animal sacrifices, heretofore common. Those Jewish Christians who grew up immersed in a cult which expressed its thanks, sorrow, petitions and praise with the help of animal, grain and other sacrifices, may have found it difficult to surrender these external acts to the one, great non-repeatable sacrifice of Jesus. We see remnants of this today in the nostalgia expressed by Christians for the “old ways” of worship—such as we see in some parishes for the Latin Mass, with the priest facing away from the people, replete with the pageantry associated with it. Most important for us all is how we approach God, Who is made available to us in the saving act of Jesus Christ. ~~~ Throughout His public ministry, Jesus was set upon by Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Chief Priests and the Herodians, who, each in their turn, questioned His motives, methods and authority. Today’s Gospel relates the meeting of Jesus and a Scribe, and stands out as a quite amicable encounter, amid a series of more fiery controversies (Mark 12:28-34.) In those times a rabbi’s opinion was often tested as to: the wisdom, or point of law; a question offered to mock or ridicule a foreign belief; a query as to the fundamental principles for living a good life; and a potential conflict about the meaning of certain Scriptures. In stark contrast to the 613 laws of Moses, Jesus’ concise answer as to the greatest commandment, as we know, included two—love of God and love of neighbor—put on equal footing with one another. Therein, Jesus expanded the meaning of “neighbor” to include, not just fellow countrymen, but all peoples. In the best tradition of the prophets, the scribe replied that Jesus’ “dual law” was far superior to the rituals of his sacrificial cult. Our Greatest Failure The great danger facing church-going people is that they don’t see the connection between what they do in Church on Sunday and what they do in relation to their neighbor on a weekday! In examining one’s conscience, people may leave whole fields untouched: The conscientious carrying out of one’s duty, honesty n business matters, justice, respect and cooperation among those who live under the same roof…and so on. For such people religion is divorced from life. It is a private matter between them and God. According to Biblical reference, religion like that is a distortion—worse, it is an abomination. It can be very easy, sometimes, to separate the “two great commandments.” In a sense, there is only one—the commandment to love. It is like a coin…one entity with two sides. It is impossible to have one without the other. It’s not that we “hate” our neighbors, but it’s just that we refuse to take them into our heart. If the truth were known, we are indifferent towards them. All of us have a great capacity for love, but sadly, we use it all too seldom. We leave it too late and then are full of regrets. We wait until it is too late to tell or show others that we love them. We leave it too late to mend a quarrel, too late to enjoy health or the gift of our children or our parents. No value in human history has been celebrated so much as love. Poems, songs and novels of all literatures of the globe deal with it endlessly. Countless great works of art and many great monuments have been erected in its name. Almost no motion picture leaves it unmentioned. Jokes caricature it, wise sayings try to define it, and murder/suicide many times follows its failure. And ancient Hebrew literature, specifically the Bible, is no exception—dealing often with love, but relating it constantly to its deepest root, the love of God. In the awareness of the New Testament writers, love of God and neighbor cannot be separated. “Whoever loves God must also love his brother”(John 4:21) Any attempt to separate these two loves is bound to fail in Christian experience. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar” (1 John 4:20.) The corollary, loving one’s brother but not paying enough attention to God in prayer and worship, results in failure as well. Many a social worker has tried to love God mainly or only “horizontally,” (i.e. in the brother or sister.) Usually this does not last long. When frustrations undo our best efforts to love others, love of God is needed to keep going. The greatest failure in a Christian is failing to love. Often, however, this is not even seen as sin. Sin is recognized when it means doing harm to a neighbor, but many times not when it means failing to love, or withholding it. While it might be very easy to separate the two great commandments, in actuality, there is only one—the commandment of love. It is like a coin—one entity with two sides. It is impossible to have one without the other. It’s not that we hate our neighbors…no, we don’t hate them…we just refuse to take them into our heart. If the truth were told, we are indifferent to them. Putting Jesus’ two most important commandments into practice is the next step, keeping in mind we are merely a heartbeat away from the kingdom…. In order to take that step we need God to touch our hearts. The Ladder of Charity We live in an age that encourages selfishness. In elections, candidates for public office often suggest that voters ask themselves, “Am I better off today than I was four years ago.” This appeal to personal selfishness is far more successful than asking them, “Is society better off today than it was then?” The Bible teaches that God is deeply concerned about the way we treat one another. Most of us are touched by the pain felt by other people. We feel “enlarged” by doing good, more so than by doing well materially or financially. Generosity brings its own rewards. Joy springs up within us when we do a good deed for someone. But when we refuse to do it, a strange sadness often descends over us. The famous 12th century Jewish teacher, Maimonides, outlined eight “rungs” on what he termed the “Ladder of Charity:” • The first degree is to give, but with reluctance or regret—a gift of the hand, but not the heart. • Second, is to give cheerfully, but not in proportion to the distress of the sufferer. • Third, is to give cheerfully, in proportion to the need, but not until we are asked. • Next, is to give cheerfully, proportionally, and even unasked, but to put it into the poor person’s hand, exciting in them the painful emotion of shame. • A better way may be that we might give in such a way that the needy may receive the gift, and know their benefactor, but without the benefactor knowing them. • Following this, the sixth is to know the recipients of our charity, while remaining unknown to them. • Seventh, we might bestow charity in such a way that we do not know the recipient, nor the recipient would know us. • Finally, the eighth and most meritorious way of all, is to anticipate charity by preventing poverty. This can be done by giving a gift that enables an indigent person to “get back on their feet,” or by teaching them a trade, or facilitating their meeting someone who can provide an opportunity for them to earn an honest livelihood, and not be forced to hold out their hand for charity. It’s a sad commentary on modern life that many of us would rather help a person who “has fallen” than to prevent them falling in the first place…. May God Richly Bless You! "One of the nicest things that can happen to a person is to do good by stealth--and be found out by accident" ~~Mark Twain~~ Prayer of Mother Teresa.docx To view a live stream of today's Holy Mass, click here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-CaOMSwumXU&feature=share Edited October 31, 2021 by Father Michael Quote
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