Ordinary Time Cycle A

Thirty First Sunday Cycle B

November 4, 2012

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Who is your neighbor that you are to love as yourself?

 

In the first reading Moses has been given the Ten Commandments and now goes before the people and explains what God has done for them and now what they are to do.  In a sense, how much God has loved His people and how they are to now find life.

 

 

As we listened to these readings this Sunday, we can realize that they are a reflection of how much God loves humanity now and in every generation. God in the past and even now is willing to put up with our unfaithfulness.  Again and again He is calling us back to himself.

 




 

Moses gives them the Shema.   "Listen Israel, the Lord our God is one. and you shall love the Lord with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind."

It is interesting to note that these words are recited daily by Jews, to remind them today, as it did the people in ancient times, that's the way to find eternal life is to love God above all things.

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Hebrews, we once again hear Jesus described as the high priest, the one who has given up everything so that you and I can have eternal life.

 

 

 

 

He expresses his great love for humanity.  As both totally God and totally human, Jesus shows us, what love is.  Love God by loving the other you come in contact with every day.

 

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is being questioned as to what is the greatest commandment. In other words, what will it take to find eternal life.

 
Once again we hear the version of the Shema and Jesus adds, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

 

We know that Jesus show us with His life that everyone we meet is our neighbor.

 

That means not just the ones we are comfortable with, but also the ones we disagree with, the ones that give us a hard time, the ones that at times seem possible, even the ones that we make judgments on, and yes, even the enemy we encounter.

 
The real message is that we are to love God above all things, above our own ideas and our judgments. 

At times we might fail, but the important things is not to give up but to start again and again and to pray for conversion and trust in God's great love and mercy for each of us

Twenty Nineth Sunday Cyle B

October 21, 2012

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Why Suffering?

 

 

 

 All of us at some time have asked the question why did Christ have to suffer, and why do we have to suffer?

 
What's the purpose of all the struggles and difficulties that happen in our own lives?

We all seem to think that somehow sufferings, difficulties, and  serious problems should not really be a part of this life in our world.  And so when when they happen to us we ask...

Why Me?

 

We hear from a prophet in the Hebrew Scriptures a prediction of what the Messiah will be like and what he will go through.  

We can see an image of what Christ had to go through to show us the great love God has for each of us, so that we can have eternal life.  Wow! What love!

Every day we also fulfilled what Isaiah had predicted for the suffering servant.  

Ask for the grace to unite our sufferings with those of Christ.  Once we are dead and gone, our struggles, sufferings, rejections, and persecutions will take on meaning as to how we also were a part of the sufferings of Christ.

 

 
Certainly we don't ask for sufferings, but for each of us they will come. 

We hear in the Gospel reading that James and John wanted to be first in the kingdom that is coming.

 

They do not understand at all what the kingdom is about.
They continue to think that is a kingdom that will happen in this world with no suffering, no difficulty, no pain, and they want to be first in this pain free earthly kingdom.

 
Even though Christ told them about his passion, they just could not comprehend how suffering and death could be a way to this kingdom.

 It is hard for us to believe that sufferings and struggles in our lives  do have meaning for our journey to eternal life and also for the journey all humanity.

 

In the letter that we hear, the author says that we have Christ as our High Priest, both God and fully human, who gives us an example, so that when struggles and problems happen to them they will not become discouraged.  

That same message is for us, who through all of the ups and downs in life are on our way to the eternal kingdom.

 

This may be the week ahead where we have to look at every event and situation in our lives and ask ourselves...

 

Am I willing to suffer for others?

 

Am I willing to be rejected?

 

Am I willing to be persecuted?

 

Am I willing to be the servant?

 

Am I willing to be last?

If, at times, the answer is, "No Way!", then we know we need to pray for our own conversion.  Courage.  God has called us and even when we fail, His Love and Mercy will embrace us.

 

Twenty Eighth Sunday Cycle B

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  What would make you

really, really happy???

 More Money?

More Possessions?

More control over things or people in your life?

More power and fame?

 

The readings for this Sunday encourage each of us to take a look at ourselves and our current spiritual journey to eternal life, seeing truthfully how we live today.

 

This book was written some 2000 years ago and shows the wisdom of the author, who says, to many of the Jews who had abandoned God, that wisdom is the most important gift of all.

 

He says that it is more important than wealth or power.  

That is not something that the world has taught each of us.  Wealth and power, taught to each of us by the world, are the most important things we can possess in order to be happy.

 
Often we have to pray for the gift of wisdom, so that we don't get pulled in by the attractions of this world.

We know that the world says possessions, acquiring them, and power and control, are the most important things to have in order to find happiness.

But we know that is not true, and the author of wisdom knows that is not true.

 

 

We we are told of  the story of the rich man who follows all of the rules and regulations of living a good life and so Christ sees his goodness and asks him to sell everything and to give up his possessions. We all know how difficult that can be.

 

But if we're not careful, the acquisition of possessions  can become the whole purpose of our lives, more things, more money, more control, more power.  

Finding ourselves attracted to worldly things and thinking  they can be the way to happiness, can be a wonderful gift.  That discovery can be the moment we pray for ourselves that the Lord will change our hearts, so we can see that these things do not lead us to lasting peace or eternal life.

 

In the second reading St. Paul writes his letter to the Hebrews, Jewish converts living a split life. They are attracted by worldly things.

 
Paul reminds them how their Jewish ancestors were brought out of slavery from Egypt and who were asked to keep the promise of God's covenant so that they would find the Promised Land.

But they never came to the Promised Land because they, at times, abandoned God, and turn to other gods, power, money, possessions, control of others.

Hopefully the Lord will help us to see that we are like them in our attractions to worldly things.

 
That's the moment we can go before God asking for the grace to put Him first and not worldly attractions.

That can take a lot of prayer and a lot of patience with ourselves but it is not impossible.

Take the time to look at ourselves and go before the loving Lord, asking for the grace to follow Him alone.