Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

READINGS (CYCLE A)

Reading 1 Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10

A great King am I, says the LORD of hosts,
and my name will be feared among the nations.
And now, O priests, this commandment is for you:
If you do not listen,
if you do not lay it to heart,
to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts,
I will send a curse upon you
and of your blessing I will make a curse.
You have turned aside from the way,
and have caused many to falter by your instruction;
you have made void the covenant of Levi,
says the LORD of hosts.
I, therefore, have made you contemptible
and base before all the people,
since you do not keep my ways,
but show partiality in your decisions.
Have we not all the one father?
Has not the one God created us?
Why then do we break faith with one another,
violating the covenant of our fathers?

Responsorial Psalm Ps 131:1, 2, 3

R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted
my soul like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap,
so is my soul within me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
both now and forever.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Reading 2 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13

Brothers and sisters:
We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.

Alleluia Mt 23:9b, 10b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have but one Father in heaven
and one master, the Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Back to THIRTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

• Matt 24:42-51
• The Unknown Day and Hour

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Fr. Stephen Yim

2020 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020

21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 27-08-2020

1 Cor 1:1-9 / Matthew 24:42-51  

Once in a while, we may have entertained the thought of being our own boss.

Maybe it is because we get tired and frustrated of being bossed around and being told to get more and more work done.

So it might be nice to dream that we can be our own boss and order people around and make them work while we just give orders.

But for those of us who are our own boss, whether we run our own business or self-employed, we will know how much harder it is than to be just an employee.

We must be really disciplined and work much harder and because there is practically no one to report to, we can give in to laziness and begin to slack.

But whether we are an employer or an employee, there must be a sense of responsibility and accountability.

If such is required in the secular life, then no less is expected in the spiritual life.

We know that God is our Master and that we are His servants and we are called to serve God in the ministry of love.

We are to serve our neighbours with love and to do it at all times and to do it willing and graciously.

Let us be responsible to our Christian duty and God will keep us steady and without blame for God has called us to serve with love and He will help us to be faithful

Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim

frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2020/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-27-08.html

2021 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 26-08-2021

1 Thess 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51    

There is a phrase that goes like this: “absence makes the heart grow fonder”.

It is a proverb to mean that you feel more affection for those you love when parted from them.

But does absence really make the heart grow fonder?

Or is it “out of sight, out of mind”?

Well, absence truly does make the heart grow fonder, particularly when it comes to love and intimacy. 

St. Paul expressed this sentiment in the 1st reading when he said that he was earnestly praying night and day to be able to see the Thessalonians face to face again.

Obviously, he felt deeply for the Thessalonians and it really made his heart grew fonder.

But in the gospel parable, when the master was away, it was for the dishonest servant “out of sight, out of mind”.

In this particular time when we are slowly getting back to our spiritual routine of coming for Mass as often as we could, we are certainly aware that there are those whom we have not met for some time already, and it is more than a year.

They may be out of sight but they must not be out of our minds. 

As the Body of Christ, we keep them in our prayers that God will also bless them and answer their prayers and our hope is that we will meet them again one day. Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim

frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2021/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-26-08.html

2022 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 25-08-2022

1 Cor 1:1-9 / Matthew 24:42-51    

Just as no one can say that he has never made a mistake, similarly no one can ever say that they had not lost focus or got distracted before.

The reality is that human beings are not machines.

We don’t run on a program or like clock-work. 

But even on that point, the fact is that machines do break down due to wear and tear and other issues.

When we profess our faith in God, we certainly want to be faithful and committed to Him with all our heart.

But there is also the human weakness, frailty and failings to reckon with.

In the gospel parable, we hear of the dishonest servant giving in to his own desires and being caught unexpectedly by his master.

But in the 1st reading, St. Paul tells us that Jesus will keep us steady and without blame.

We only need to have faith in God who is faithful to us.

Let us keep praying that we will always stay close to God and be faithful to Him, especially in times of trials and temptations Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim

frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2022/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-25-08.html

2023 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2023

21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 31-08-2023

1 Thess 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51  

When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Similarly when the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.

The earth has received many tears from humanity since time began and the tears have yet to cease.

We shed tears when in pain; we shed tears when in grief and sorrow; we shed tears when overcome by emotions. When the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul mentioned a little about his own troubles and sorrows but with not much details.

But in other letters to the other early Christian communities, he did mention about shedding tears for them.

To shed tears over our own trials and tribulations is understandable; but to shed tears for someone would mean that the person(s) really matter to us.

It may not be tears literally, but those times when we pour out our life and time looking out for those whom we care about, but have gone astray.

Our worry and anxiety for them, the pain that we feel in our heart for them, those are like invisible tears that only we ourselves will know.

But still, may we stay awake at all times, praying and making sacrifices for them, so that their tears will cease, and so that there will be no more weeping and grinding of teeth. Posted by Rev Msgr Stephen Yim

frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2023/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-31-08.html

***************

• Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 21st Week of the Year

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

• Matt 24:42-51
• The Unknown Day and Hour

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Fr. Mike Lagrimas

2020 Fr. Mike’s Daily Homily

August 27, 2020 (Thursday in Ordinary Time – Week 21)

Mt 24:42‐51

“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

There is a beautiful song that was very popular some decades ago. It says, “From a distance, God is watching us.” In the light of the Mystery of the Incarnation, this statement may not be too accurate. God is Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is not only watching us from distance, but is totally immersed in human history when the Son of God became Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Yet, this statement still holds true. In the history of religions, God is generally represented as the being with eyes on all sides. Even in ancient Catholic art, there is this triangular image with a big eye at the center. This means God is the absolute seeing.

Pope Benedict XVI says something about this: “God is an eye. God is the act of seeing. And behind this lies the fundamental experience of man: he knows that he is known. He knows that there is no definitive hiddenness. He knows that his life lies open at every point to an act of seeing, from which there is no concealment or escape. His life is a ‘state of being seen.’” (“The God of Jesus Christ, Ignatius Press, p. 18).

This brings to mind the account in Genesis after the Fall. Adam hid from God. The Lord God then called out to him: “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9). Of course, God knows where he is; He sees him all the time. His question here is no different from any other parent who asks a question to their child, when they already know the answer. God wants Adam to answer, to reveal himself to God, and to confess. Man cannot hide from God for He is the act of absolute seeing.

The reading today is part of the Eschatological Discourse in Matthew’s Gospel. It is concerned the Last Things – death, the Parousia (or second coming of Christ), final judgment, heaven and hell. The Gospel today is an exhortation for us to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ as Judge of both the living and dead. Absolutely no one knows when this will take place. Hence, the need to be prepared all the time. And the best preparation is to be constantly faithful to God in every moment of our earthly life.

We should be the faithful stewards that the Gospel is talking about. We must always be aware of the fact that God sees everything everywhere and every time. We cannot hide, for God is the eternal presence who sees us constantly.

There is a story about a boy who loved basketball. He joined the team in school, but since there are more talented players than him, the coach rarely needs him. So he just sat on the bench during most of the games. Nevertheless, his father was always there at every game, cheering for the team. Despite being a benchwarmer, the boy never missed practice. After a couple of years, his father died. He told the coach that he cannot come to the practice and the crucial game the next day. The coach did not mind his being absent. But the next day, the boy came in the middle of the game, and pleaded: “Coach, please let me play.” Of course the coach was not inclined to do so because his team is trailing behind in this crucial game. However, feeling sorry for the boy, the coach let him play. And to the amazement of everyone, the boy played incredibly well! He, in fact, led the team to its come-from-behind victory. The coach was most bewildered , and enthused, “My boy, that was amazing! How did you do that?” The boy replied, ʺWell, you knew my dad just died. He comes here every time we play. But did you know that he was blind? Today is the first time he could see me play, and I didn’t want to disappoint him! I played my best because I knew he was watching me.ʺ (Adapted from G. Boronat, iPray with the Gospel).

Our heavenly Father sees everything. He is watching us all the time. This we must always remind ourselves. We cannot entertain the idea that “when the cat is away, the mouse is at play.” God is never away. Life in this world, after all, is just like a game: it begins and it eventually ends. So, in this ‘game of life’, let us play our very best! Let us not disappoint Him. May we all be the faithful and prudent stewards of our Eternal Master.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

St. Michael the Archangel Parish

Diocese of Novaliches

facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3531754733556038&id=283905198341024

***************

• Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 21st Week of the Year

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

• Matt 24:42-51
• The Unknown Day and Hour

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Catholic mom

2020 Daily Gospel Reflection for August 27, 2020

Aug 27, 2020 12:15:00 AM  |  by Ellen Mongan

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51 – Memorial of St. Monica

In word and deed, plus fervent prayer, St. Monica desired the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. Our role as mothers is to sew the truths of our faith into our children’s hearts. When I had children in our home, I began each day by lighting a candle, then singing with my wee ones, “This Is the Day…” Their eyes would dance with wonder and delight as they waited for their turn to blow out the candle. Teach your children to know Jesus, to love Jesus, and to serve Jesus. Teach your children to put their faith in Him alone. 

I have often pondered today’s gospel. For years I would often wonder if I will make it to heaven, or will I be left behind? How can I know if Jesus loves me? My mind was often flooded with doubts. There was no backspace button for life! 

Then one day the question was posed, “How will I know if I am going to heaven?” A wise old man shared the answer. “If you are following Jesus today, you will follow Him tomorrow and if you are following Him tomorrow, you will follow Him the next day.” My wave of doubt dispersed. 

God will light a candle of love to burn in your heart each day as you follow Him. He will ready your hearts to one day meet Him face to face. Enkindle the flame by frequenting the sacraments. Celebrate big each day the Lord has made. Never give up on praying for your children’s conversions. One day we will be invited to sit at the wedding feast of the Lamb. It is reservations only, so RSVP. Now is the time to follow Him. Then do it again tomorrow.

Now is the time to follow Him. Then do it again tomorrow. #dailygospel

Ponder: Are you really trying to follow Jesus today? Will you follow Him tomorrow?

Pray: Dear Jesus, You are preparing a banquet for us in heaven. Let us daily ready ourselves to meet You face to face, put our trust in You alone, and teach our children to do the same.

catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/daily-gospel-reflection-for-august-27-2020

2021 Daily Gospel Reflection for August 26, 2021

Aug 26, 2021 12:15:00 AM  |  by Melanie Jean Juneau

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51

Today’s Gospel is all about the coming of the Lord at the end of time. Jesus exhorts us to be alert and faithful as we wait for His return. The first Christians believed Jesus would return soon; many continue to think the end of the world is close at hand. 

Yet Jesus still has not returned, leaving some to doubt it will ever happen. Others live in fear, anxiety, and on edge, constantly interrupting the decline in morality as a sign that the world will be destroyed at any moment by a vengeful God.

Perhaps any fears we might harbor in our hearts about facing Jesus at the end of the world are because we forget that Jesus still lives in our midst. A few chapters later in Matthew 28, Jesus comforts us with this promise, “I am with you always, till the end of time” (Mt 28:20). We do not have to wait for the end of time to see Jesus because we are invited to live in, with, and through the Holy Spirit right now. The Kingdom of God is already in our midst. While we wait for the Second Coming, we can live in the Mystical Body of Christ.

In the face of fear-mongers, we must remember that nobody knows anything concerning the day or the hour, “neither the angels, or the Son, but only the Father”. All Christians can do is to live in union with Christ every day as we wait for His return.

Ponder: Am I brave enough to let go of my fears and live in joyful union with Christ as I wait for His return at the end of the world?

Pray: Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit, just as You promised so that as I wait for the Second Coming, I can already live in the Kingdom of God on earth.

Click to Tweet All Christians can do is to live in union with Christ every day as we wait for His return. #dailygospel

catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/daily-gospel-reflection-for-august-26-2021

2022 Daily Gospel Reflection for August 25, 2022

Aug 25, 2022 12:15:00 AM  |  by Claire McGarry

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51

None of us expected the world to shut down when COVID-19 hit in 2020. When it did, we all looked at things differently: Did we have enough toilet paper and food to get us through? Had we saved enough money to pay our rent or mortgage? Was our internet speed fast enough to accommodate virtual learning and remote work?

But how many of us took stock of our souls? When was the last time we’d been to Confession? Was there work to do in the healing of any family relationships so we could quarantine together in harmony? Was our prayer life solid enough to keep our minds calm in the midst of the chaos?

Good can be found in every situation, no matter how dire. All the stress from the lockdown can be a gift if we use it as a reminder that we never know the day or the time when a crisis will hit. Nor do we know when God will come for us.

As important as it is to keep our homes prepared so we can make it through a pandemic, it’s absolutely critical that we keep our souls prepared for His coming. Even if it isn’t “our time,” living and remaining in God’s grace, at all times, means we’ll be ready for anything and live a life that’s pleasing to Him.

 Ponder: Did I feel ill-equipped for the COVID-19 lockdown? What was the state of my soul then? Have I worked on keeping my soul ever-equipped and ready for anything?

 Pray: Lord, inspire me to remain spiritually prepared for anything at all times. Remind me that doing so means I’ll be walking a path that always leads to You.

 Click to tweet: As important as it is to keep our homes prepared so we can make it thorough a pandemic, it’s absolutely critical that we keep our souls prepared for His coming.#dailygospel

catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-08252022

2023 Daily Gospel Reflection for August 31, 2023

Aug 31, 2023 12:30:00 AM  |  by Caroline Godin

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51

Imagine if we knew the hour of our own death? Seems morbid, but think about how differently we would act. How many of us would start to go to Confession and Mass more often, or change the way we act toward others? Maybe those reading this don’t have much to change (since you’re already reading Catholic blogs and thinking along those lines), but we would all be scrutinizing our lives and wondering how we can be more holy in preparation for that moment if we knew exactly when it was. Truly, we don’t know the day or hour of our end on this earth (or when Jesus is coming back.) So, why wait? Why not work as if it could be any time?

We should be constantly adjusting, growing, and resetting ourselves back to Christ. An examination of conscience is a beautiful way to do this. We can ask ourselves, “Do I pray enough?”, “Am I kind to everyone?”, “Did I speak the truth to those who needed to hear it?”, “Did I honor the Lord?”, “Did I share His Love?”

A daily reflection on ourselves, along with the knowledge that God loves us unconditionally, can help us grow spiritually and faithfully. Over time, this simple exercise can help build us into good servants and perhaps inspire others to do the same.

Ponder: Am I serving the Lord in the ways He is asking daily?

Pray: Lord, Your love is unconditional. Guide me to be the servant You desire so I can serve You more fully.

Click to tweet: A daily reflection on ourselves, along with the knowledge that God loves us unconditionally, can help us grow spiritually and faithfully. #DailyGospel

catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-08312023

***************

• Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 21st Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Seminarians’ Musings

2020 Seminarians’ Musings

#DailyGospelMusings for the Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, 4 June 2020.

In recent days, Filipinos came to know the Latin legal dictum: “Dura lex sed lex”, translated as “the law is harsh, but it is the law”. It implies that regardless of circumstances, the law must be upheld uniformly as a means to attain the common good. Many tend to see only the “harsh” part without really understanding the heart of “law”. Jesus himself points out that the law was made for man, and not man for the law. We can be harsh and rigoristic in applying the letter of the law, but when we do not know the spirit of the law, the law does not fulfill its purpose but instead becomes an exercise of power and control for those who lust for it to the detriment of others.

What is the heart of the law? Why does the Church and our State have a lot of laws? Why aren’t we allowed to do this or that, as we are supposedly given by God with freedom? Jesus in our Gospel today answers us that the heart of the law is the love of God and neighbor, apart from which, our laws become a proof of our lawlessness masquerading as legalism. The law is our guide and our expression towards authentic love of God, and towards genuine love and concern for our neighbors. 

This is why a priest who does not follow liturgical law is not expressing true love of God, in the same way as someone who does not follow the traffic or quarantine rules is found without concern for his fellowmen. The law is not a “box” that imprisons us, but it is like the rails of a train that guarantee us that we can go to Point A to point B effectively. We will not do better when we disregard the law, but we can surely aim for the best when we follow the law. 

But then again, both the content and the delivery matters. The law is empty if the interior motive is not there. We can insist on a lot of laws here and there, but if we do not look at the heart of the law, we will simply miss the point and become legalists without actually doing anything for those whom it is intended for. Many hate and disregard laws (and lawmakers or enforcers) because it either shows no reflection of love as the heart of the law, or because it is (or they are, by extension) heartless in nature.

Dura lex sed lex. The law OBLIGES everyone because the law is an expression of true love. Above and beyond all laws, Jesus points us to the only laws that matter in this life and in the next: love of God and neighbor. May all of our laws, and may all of our actions be reflections of our wholehearted obedience that will eventually guide us to become better citizens of this world and of the other.

facebook.com/seminariansmusings/photos/a.375013106001051/1638184246350591/?type=3&theater

2021 Seminarians’ Musings

#DailyGospelMusings for the memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs of Uganda, 3 June 2021.

Today, we find ourselves in yet another confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. In our Gospel reading, Jesus is asked by the scribe about what the most important commandment is. The concept of law in the Jewish faith is very strong: aside from the 10 commandments given to God by Moses, the Jews adhere to 613 other commandments, from the essential to those which in our standards today may be considered silly. The immense number of laws and commands may have led many Jews to think there may exist one fundamental law on which everything is based.

We can imagine the change of mood that happens in today’s Gospel: perhaps the scribe wanted to test Jesus’ knowledge of the law and his priorities in asking the question. Maybe he would have some rebuts and counter-arguments ready when His answer didn’t satisfy his tastes. But when Jesus speaks, he couldn’t help but agree: this man had made everything simple and understandable, and his answer enlightened and clarified the heart.

At the heart of the law and the prophets, and the center of the Christian message which fulfills the Old Covenant is love. Love does not simply mean a way to reach towards God, but a response to God who reaches out to us with love in the first place. A heart that is formed by love does not need too many commandments and prohibitions, instead it inspires the heart to do what is naturally good, just, and true without coercion or force.

Perhaps Jesus is telling us today that when we put love of God and neighbor in the first place, we will lead lives of authenticity where goodness and kindness flows freely and naturally from ourselves. Love does not abolish the law, but it is where it is rooted and where it finds its perfection.

facebook.com/seminariansmusings/posts/1973747422794270

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Radio Veritas Asia

2020 Love must be contagious

By RVA Editorial, 04 June, 2020

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  – Mark 12:30-31b

It’s interesting to see how these two great commandments go together!

First of all, the commandment to love God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength is pretty straight forward. The key to understanding this is that it’s an all-consuming and total love. Nothing can be held back from loving God. Every part of our being must be fully dedicated to the love of God.  

Though much could be said about that love so as to understand it in a deeper and deeper way, it’s also important to see the link between the First and Second Commandments. Together, these two commandments summarize the Ten Commandments given by Moses. But the link between the two is essential to understand.

The Second Commandment says you must “love your neighbor as yourself.” So this begs the question, “How do I love myself?” The answer to that is found in the First Commandment. First and foremost, we love ourselves by loving God with all we have and all we are. Loving God is the best thing we can do for ourselves and, therefore, is the key to loving ourselves.

The connection, then, between the two commandments is that loving our neighbor as we love ourselves means that everything we do for others should help them to love God with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength. This is done by our words, but especially by our influence.

When we love God with everything, our love of God will be contagious. Others will see our love of God, our passion for Him, our desire for Him, our devotion and our commitment. They will see it and be attracted to it. They will be attracted to it because love of God is in fact very attractive. Witnessing this sort of love inspires others and makes them want to imitate our love.

So reflect, today, on how deep your love of God is. Just as importantly, reflect upon how well you let that love of God shine forth for others to see. You should be very free in letting your love of God be lived and expressed in an open way. When you do so, others will see this and you will be loving them as you love yourself.

Lord, help me to follow these commandments of love. Help me to love You with my whole being. And in that love of You, help me to share that love with others. Jesus, I trust in You.

rvasia.org/love-must-be-contagious

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from The Most Rev William Goh

2020 04 June, 2020, Thursday, 9th Week, Ordinary Time

ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 Timothy 2:8-15; PS 25:4-5, 8-10, 14; Mark 12:28-34 ]

Are you ashamed of the gospel? This is the question the scripture readings are challenging us today.  If we are honest and search ourselves deeply, many of us are actually ashamed of the gospel.  Otherwise, we will proudly profess ourselves as Catholics to the whole world, and display our Catholic symbols in our homes, schools, and carry or wear them on ourselves.  However, we are careful that our faith in Christ is hidden from public eyes lest the world thinks we are superstitious because we believe in the Eucharist, Sacrament of Reconciliation, and prayers instead of just relying on our knowledge and power.  Worse still, that we subscribe to the outdated and irrelevant biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality!

If we are ashamed of the gospel, it is not difficult to understand why.  It simply means that we have not grasped the centrality of the Christian Faith and the heart of the gospel.  Many Catholics think that the Catholic Faith is reducible to obedience to the commandments of God and love of our neighbours.  This understanding is not wrong but it is incomplete.  This was the same understanding of the scribe who came up to Jesus and asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must 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 must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Indeed, this is the Old Testament’s Faith, called the Shema, in a nutshell.  What Jesus taught was not anything new.  The novelty of Jesus’ teaching was to combine the two commandments into one commandment.  The command to love God with all our being is from the book of Deuteronomy and the call to love our neighbours is from the book of Leviticus.  (cf Dt 6:5; Lev 19:18) By bringing them together, Jesus indicates the primacy of the love of God above all others, an unreserved and absolute love for Him; and only then the love of our neighbours.   Yet these two are tied together because as St John wrote, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”  (1 Jn 4:20f)

Knowing that this two-fold commandment is the greatest does not mean that we can fulfill this commandment.   This was why the Lord, “seeing how wisely (the scribe) had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’”  Why “not far”?  If this is the centrality of the commandments of God, we are only near to the kingdom of God but have yet to enter into it.  Was not this the promise of Moses when he told his people, “So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”  (Dt 4:39f)?

So what is preventing the scribe and our good Catholics from entering the kingdom of God? It is because, whilst knowing that loving God above all things is the basis for keeping all the specific commandments outlined in the Decalogue, we do not have the capacity to love Him with our whole mind, heart and soul; and much less to love our neighbours or even to love ourselves.  Whilst we may know that God is the ultimate, and commands our total allegiance and obedience, we do not trust Him enough that He will take care of our lives and provide for all our needs.  We doubt His love and care for us.  So whilst loving Him; we feel the need to protect ourselves by relying on our strength and providing our own security.

This is why the heart of Christian Faith completes the Old Testament’s insufficient understanding of the love of God. The heart of the gospel is reducible to what Paul said in his letter to Timothy.  “Remember the Good news that I carry, ‘Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; it is on account of this that I have my own hardships to bear.”  Indeed, the heart of the gospel is about Jesus, the son of David, and “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”  (Acts 10:38)  Then “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses.”  (Acts 10:39-41)  By so doing, God established Him Lord and Saviour of all.

Because Jesus is Lord, it means that we can accept everything that Jesus has said and taught as Peter said, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:68f) For us, then, Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. (cf Jn 14:6)  Jesus revealed His Father to us by His life, death and resurrection.   He revealed to us His unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness by dying for us on the cross.  He also revealed to us who we are; that we are called to share in the life of God.  In Christ, we have been given the Spirit of sonship and so we are children of God.  (cf Rom 8:14-17)

In light of what has been said, St John, therefore, put everything in perspective.  It is not our love for God or our love for our neighbours that is primary.  Rather, it is our capacity to love our neighbours in the same way He loves us.  This is our entry into God’s heart or kingdom.  But this capacity is rooted in God’s prior love for us in Christ.  He wrote,“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.  God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”  (1 Jn 4:7-12)    Indeed, we can love God only because He first loved us.  And because He loves us, we can love our neighbours authentically and selflessly, loving them as much as we love ourselves and the way God loves us.  This was what the Lord said to His disciples, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (Jn 13:34f)

This is the kerygma, the heart of the gospel, Paul preached.  This Good News cannot be chained up as Paul said.  He was “chained like a criminal – but they cannot chain up God’s news.”  If we have encountered this Good News for ourselves, then we will not chain up the Good News and keep it hidden from others.  If we do, it simply means it is not such great news and does not give hope and life to others.  As a result, we get involved in all kinds of speculation and ideas about God and His commandments.  Paul warned us, “that there is to be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening.”   Such theological speculations make us doubt the reality of Jesus as our Lord. 

However, if we are so filled and touched by His love, we will be like St Paul who did not want to do anything else except to announce this Good News.  What he had received, he wanted to impart to us all because he loved us as much as God loves us.  Hence, he wrote, “I bear it all for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in the end they may have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal glory that comes with it.”  Indeed, we would give our lives for the announcement of the Good News to all, because we love God and love our brothers and sisters in Him.   St Paul urges us, “Do all you can to present yourself in front of God as a man who has come through his trials, and a man who has no cause to be ashamed of his life’s work and has kept a straight course with the message of the truth.”   So let us not be ashamed of the gospel and keep our focus on the power of the crucified and Risen Lord.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved

catholic.sg/04-june-2020-thursday-9th-week-ordinary-time/

2021 03 June, 2021, Thursday, 9th Week, Ordinary Time

PERFECT LOVE AS THE ULTIMATE MEANING OF EXISTENCE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Tb 6:10-11; 7:1. 9-14; 8:4-9; Ps 128:1-5; Mk 12:28-34 ]

Many of us often miss the forest for the trees.  We are so preoccupied with our daily struggles in life, worldly pursuits, enticed by the pleasures of life, seeking attention and popularity, that we just drift along each day without asking the fundamental question of the meaning of existence.  This is even true of people with faith in God.  We observe all the laws and rituals of our religion meticulously, and often blindly, without asking what we are doing and why we are doing what we do, so much so that we just mechanically fulfill our religious duties.   Then one day, we begin to ask why we are doing all these things which appear to be meaningless and a waste of time.

In the gospel, we have an honest and sincere seeker of the truth in the person of the scribe who asked our Lord, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”  In other words, he was asking about the ultimate purpose of life.  He must have been impressed by the Lord’s knowledge of scriptures and how He rebutted the Sadducees on the doctrine of the resurrection using the text from the Torah itself, namely, the Book of Exodus 3:6.  This scribe was genuinely seeking the ultimate purpose in life, because in his tradition, there were so many laws to observe.  Altogether, the Rabbinic tradition listed 613 commandments, of which 248 were positive commands and 365 prohibitions.  Of course, among so many, there were more weightier laws than others.  Hence, the question, among all these laws, which was the most important law.  Or rather, can all these laws be summed up in one fundamental law that captures the essence of all the elaborated laws?

Jesus ingeniously enlightened the scribe on what was most fundamental in the law.  If there was only one word, it is love.  St Paul and St Augustine said similar things, that love is the fulfillment of the law.  (Rom 13:10) St Augustine said, “love and do what you will.”  So Jesus’ answer was clear and concise.  “This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must 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 must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”  Instead of giving only one commandment, the Lord gave two, because both in truth are two faces of the same love.  The ingenuity of our Lord was to place these two commandments found in Deuteronomy 6:5 side by side with the other commandment taken from Leviticus 19:18.

Yet in truth, the first commandment is more than just a commandment.  It is the foundational creed of every Israelite and Jew, and for us all.  Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is more than just a psychological analysis of the human person but it calls for a total dedication of one’s entire being.  The love of God demands that we give ourselves entirely to Him simply because He is God, the Ultimate, the Life-giver, the Creator, the Deliverer.  Without God, we do not exist.  Our lives are dependent on His divine providence, mercy and grace.  Loving God, therefore, is not just using our mind to think about Him, or feeling loving towards Him in our heart, or using our strength to worship Him and to serve Him.  It is to use our entire being, body and soul to love Him and serve Him.

This explains why every Jew begins his day and his prayers with the Shema, the first word of the first commandment, “Hear!”  If only we realize this, our lives would have been more orientated.  Today, many have no purpose in life because they do not know their origin and their destiny.  By rejecting God in their life, there is no basis for their presence in the world.  Man is just placed there by chance, at random because of the atoms.  He has no purpose in life, other than to just try to survive, keep alive, enjoy and then disappear.

However, the commandment to love God with our entire being must be expressed in our love for our neighbours. Because we are created in the image of God, and His essence is love, so we too are called to imitate God by loving our neighbours as we love ourselves.  There is no conflict between the love of God and love of neighbor.   The Old Testament prophets all speak about the close relationship between true worship of God and social justice.  King David summed up the Law in Ps 15:1-5 as living a blameless life.  The prophets Isaiah, Micah all insisted on the need to practise social justice and live a life of integrity.  (Isa 33:15; 56:1; Mic 6:8) Even the scribe saw the importance of loving one’s neighbor, putting it above empty ritualistic worship and offering of sacrifices when he agreed with Jesus and added, “Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.”

And the evangelist noted, “Jesus seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’”  Why was he not far from the Kingdom?  It was because he was a sincere seeker of truth.  He was not afraid to accept the truth from someone who was not among his peers.  He trusted in Jesus and saw in Him an enlightened man of God.  Indeed, unless we Catholics are as courageous to inquire further into our faith, we will be far from the kingdom of God.  The truly religious man asks deeply religious questions which often deal with truth, meaning, love and life.  When we do not ask such fundamental questions, we will live superficially, as many of us do.  We only ask them when we are confronted with life and death issues, such as a failed relationship or a tragic event.

However, he was not yet in the kingdom of God.  Why?  Because whilst he knew the principles of life and love, he had not yet gone deep enough to ask more soul-searching questions.  In the first place, if he truly believed in the first commandment “the Lord our God is the one Lord”, what would his relationship be like towards the other nations?  Would faith in this one God who is the Lord of all, mean that this God is also the God of other believers, even if they do not know Him explicitly or fully?  The problem with the Jews was that they thought they were the only Chosen People of God and the rest did not deserve to be saved.  It was only during the later part of Israel’s history that the prophets gradually enlightened them that Israel was meant to be the light for all the nations.  (Isa 42:6f) What implications does it have for us Christians in our relationship with non-Christians, people of other faiths and even atheists and agnostics?  They too are loved by God, and as St Paul says God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”  (1 Tim 2:4f)

Secondly, who was his neighbor?  In the story of the Good Samaritan, we found that the Jews had difficulty in extending the commandment of Leviticus 19:18 to those outside their community, or those living in their midst.  They were considered to be their enemies, and therefore undeserving of their love. Their understanding of neigbour was restricted to people of their own kind.  It was too narrow because for Jesus, whoever is in need is our neighbor, even our enemies.  We are called to love them.  (Mt 5:43-48; Lk 10:25-37) But we cannot.  Only Jesus can give us the capacity to love like Him.   But the young man had not yet come to full faith in the Lord.

The first reading from the Book of Tobit gives us the model of perfect love of God and neighbor in the Sacrament of marriage.  It was clear that Tobias did not marry Sarah out of lust but love, and both loved each other for the sake of God.  Perhaps, the other men earlier died because they wanted Sarah out of lust.  St Augustine sums up so aptly when he wrote, “Let us not ask how much love we ought to spend upon our brother and how much upon God: incomparably more upon God than upon ourselves, but upon our brother as much as upon ourselves; and we love ourselves more, the more we love God. Therefore we love God and our neighbor from one and the same love; but we love God for his own sake, and ourselves and our neighbors for the sake of God.”  (De Trinitate, VIII, 12 ; PL 42, 958)

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. The contents of this page may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission from the Archbishop’s Office. This includes extracts, quotations, and summaries.

catholic.sg/03-june-2021-thursday-9th-week-ordinary-time/

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Passionists

2020 Daily Scripture, June 4, 2020

The Core of our Faith

Today’s two Scripture selections combine to offer us a much-needed reminder of the core of our Christian faith:  Love.  Pure and simple:  Love.  Love received…Love lived…love shared.

In the Gospel selection from St. Mark one of the Scribes comes to Jesus and asks Him the truly basic question: “Which is the first of all the commandments?”  No doubt this is thequestion which goes to the heart of Jesus’ life and ministry.  Interestingly, Jesus’ response cites the statement from the Book of Deuteronomy:  love God with your whole being…AND He joins to it the corresponding statement from the Book of Leviticus:  love your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus combines the two commandments into one:  the love of God, neighbor, and self, go hand in hand.

The first reading from 2 Timothy sees St. Paul putting the words of Jesus into practice.  Love is unselfish.  Love involves sacrifice, a dying to self, a genuine living witness in both word and deed.  Love is about life, a sharing of God’s life – a positive spirit of energy and vitality that transforms both people and situations…even suffering and death!

Application to life today is encouraged by the Responsorial Psalm from today’s Eucharist.  Based on Psalm 25, it prays: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.”  That prayerful request should be on our lips these days as we face the challenge of COVID-19 and the tension and destructive violence resulting from the recent racially related human tragedies.  We prayerfully call upon Jesus Crucified to help us LOVE as He loves, in both word and deed, in good times and tragic times.  Our love for God intimately involves a down-to-earth love for neighbor and self…as imperfect as we each are.

Jesus:  May the Great Commandment of Love motivate each of us and our needy world this day!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the Vocation Director for Holy Cross Province. He lives at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois. 

passionist.org/daily-scripture-june-4-2020/

2021 Daily Scripture, June 3, 2021

It has been called ‘the golden rule’ and indeed it is. In one unique combination of ancient wisdom Jesus sums up the entire Law in a prophetic manner and bequeaths to all his followers the key to life.

What God wants from us – far more than ritual or material offerings, is the gift of love. Perhaps this should not surprise us unduly, after all we are made in God’s own image and likeness and God is love. While it is not possible for us to fully describe God, we learn of God’s nature and deepest desires from Jesus words, lived example and witness to us.

In this light we can understand that the essence of God’s life is relationship. This deep reality is embedded in creation itself (witnessed even at a subatomic level where matter becomes particles in relationship to each other) and seen in all life that we know (patterns of relationship in nature and the environment and most clearly in the human person).

We are relational beings, made for communion with one another. In the vision of Jesus this relational circle is widened to incorporate our relationship with God.

To live a life committed to others and to their care, to exercise a nurturing stewardship of the earth, to seek to go beyond ourselves not just in exploration but in sacrificial loving of another – al this is but expression of the innate desire to form union that God has placed within us.

For Jesus to speak of loving with al one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength is for him to name the spectrum of human capacity and to suggest we orient our entire being towards love of God and others.

In saying this Jesus knows too that God extends love to us in the same way. God’s love for us is likewise a total gift of self to us. God’s love is endless, forgiving, nurturing, sacrificial and conveys joy and grace in abundance.

We are attracted to this love at our deepest levels. While some do not see the source and creator of such love and do not acknowledge God, they nevertheless experience the warmth of God’s love (and thus God’s presence) in the world. This is our task then – to be the conduit of God’s love as it seeps into human environment. When we love our neighbour, we shar in the mission of God in our world – a mission revealed by Jesus and continued under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This is the reign of God. Let us not live far from it.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.  

passionist.org/daily-scripture-june-3-2021/

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from OCarm.

2021 Lectio Divina: Mark 12:28-34

Thursday, June 4, 2020

• In today’s Gospel (Mk 12:28b-34), the scribes and the doctors of the Law want to know from Jesus which is the greatest commandment of all. Even today, many people want to know what is more important in religion. Some say that it is to be baptized. Others say that it is to go to church and to participate in the Sunday Mass. Others still say to love our neighbor and to struggle for a more just world! Others are concerned only with appearances and with tasks in the Church.

• Mark 12:28: The question of the doctor of the Law. Some time before the question of the scribe, the discussion was with the Sadducees concerning faith in the resurrection (Mk 12:23-27). The doctor who had participated in the debate was pleased with Jesus’ answer. He perceived in it His great intelligence and wished to take advantage of the occasion to ask a question to clarify something: “Which is the greatest commandment of all?” At that time, the Jews had many norms to regulate the observance of the Ten Commandments of the Law. Some said, “All these norms have the same value, because they all come from God. It is not up to us to introduce any distinction in the things of God.” Others said, “Some laws are more important than others, and for this reason, they oblige more!” The doctor wants to know what Jesus thinks.

• Mark 12:29-31: Jesus’ response. Jesus responds quoting a passage from the Bible which says that the greatest among the commandments is “to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength!” (Dt 6:4-5). At the time of Jesus, pious Jews recited this phrase three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. It was so well known among them just as the Our Father is among us. The Pharisees would even wear Tefillin (phylacteries) which were tiny scrolls with these words written on them. And Jesus adds, quoting the Bible again, “The second one is: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). There is no other greater commandment than these two.” A brief but very profound response! It is the summary of everything that Jesus teaches on God and His life (Mt 7:12).

• Mark 12:32-33: The response of the doctor of the Law. The doctor agrees with Jesus and concludes, “Well said, to love your neighbor as yourself, this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.” That is, the commandment to love is more important than the commandments which concern the worship and sacrifices of the Temple. The Prophets of the Old Testament already had affirmed this (Hos 6:6;  Ps 40:6-8; Ps 51:16-17). Today we would say that the practice of love is more important than novenas, promises, sermons and processions.

• Mark 12:34: The summary of the Kingdom. Jesus confirms the doctor’s conclusion  and says, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God!” In fact, the Kingdom of God consists in the union of two loves: love toward God and love toward neighbor. Because if God is Father/Mother, we are all brothers and sisters, and we should show this in practice, living in community. “On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets!” (Mt 22:40). We, disciples, should keep this law in our mind, in our intelligence, in our heart, in our hands and feet, because one cannot reach God without giving oneself totally to one’s neighbor!

• 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, but in order to be able to enter the Kingdom he still had to go a step forward. In the Old Testament the criterion of  love toward neighbor was: “Love your neighbor as yourself”. In the New Testament Jesus extends the sense of love: “This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you! (Jn 15:12-23). Then the criterion will be “Love your neighbor as Jesus has loved us.” This is the sure path to being able to live together in a more just and fraternal way. 

• What is the most important priority for you in exercising your religion?

• Are we (personally, our close community, our society) closer to the Kingdom of God nowadays or farther away from it than the doctor of the Law who was praised by Jesus?

ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/lectio-divina-mark-1228b-34

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Catholic mom

2020 Daily Gospel Reflection for June 4, 2020

BY LESLEA WAHL ON JUNE 4, 2020

Today’s Gospel: Mark 12:28-34

In this verse, Jesus is asked which is the greatest Commandment. He answers, “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.”

To me, these two Commandments really encompass all the other Commandments. If we love God and our neighbor, then we will not lie, cheat, steal, or kill anyone. We will honor people around us. It makes sense, and we can understand why these are the greatest.

But do we really follow them? If we are a faithful, Catholic family, dedicating all that we do to Christ is something that we work on each and every day. This first Commandment makes sense and is what we strive for. But what about Jesus’ words about our neighbors? This is where things might get a little more complicated.

I can love my spouse, and family, and friends like myself. But what about my neighbors? That includes everyone. The guy who just cut me off as I’m driving to work. The person who has spread lies about my family. How do we love them?

Let’s face it, it is hard to love someone who has hurt us. It is hard to love someone that we don’t know. But there are a few things that we can do. We can pray. Pray for our own hearts to soften towards people who have wronged us. Pray that we can remember that God created and loves each person just like He loves us. Pray for the individual who has hurt us and for whatever struggles they are facing.

This will not always be easy, but as a Commandment, it is something that we should try to do.

Thank you, Lord, for this reminder of how we should treat others. Help us to seek You in all the people we encounter. Amen. #dailygospel By @LesleaWahl

Ponder: Can I embody this important commandment for my children? Instead of grumbling about that awful driver in traffic, maybe I can take a moment to pray for them instead. What a beautiful example of following God’s Commandments this would be for my children.

Pray: Thank you, Lord, for this reminder of how we should treat others. Help us to seek You in all the people we encounter. Amen.

catholicmom.com/2020/06/04/daily-gospel-reflection-for-june-4-2020/

2021 Daily Gospel Reflection for June 3, 2021

Jun 3, 2021 12:15:00 AM  |  by AnnAliese Harry

Today’s Gospel: Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions – Mark 12:28-34

Humans were made to know God, love God, and serve God – something the Baltimore Catechism reminds us so resolutely. Before Christ, we had been given ten commandments, each broken down, by our Father in Heaven; when Christ came, we see how Christ summarized those into two commandments in today’s Gospel reading.

Love the Lord wholeheartedly is the first Commandment. We each have individual ways of expressing love to someone, and the Father sees our demonstrations of love. But, we are to love God with our whole heart, our entire understanding, and with all of our strength. This requires much effort on our part – to demonstrate the love we have for God through acts of prayer, study of Scripture, and even acts of giving.

Then, we are challenged by this second summarized commandment – to love our neighbors as ourselves. This particular commandment can get dicey, especially since we have not just our own personality with which to contend, but another person’s personality! However, it doesn’t excuse our failure to love others.

Nowhere is this call to love more evident than in the story of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, whose feast day is also celebrated today. In the midst of torture, abuse, and insults, Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions chose the path of love. They replied to threats of torture and death, acknowledging they understood their bodies may be dead, but they would be rejoicing with God, their Creator and ours, in Heaven. Rather than condemning those torturing them, they promised to continue their prayers for their persecutors.

Every moment of the final days and hours of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions’ lives were a testimony to today’s Gospel reading – love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies; love each other with all our hearts.

Love as Christ commands.

Ponder: How can you better love God and your neighbor with your whole being?

Pray: Lord, thank You for giving us Your commandments and showing us how to live them through the witness of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions. Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, pray for us.

Click to Tweet The final days and hours of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions’ lives were a testimony to today’s Gospel reading: to love as Christ commands. #dailygospel

catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/daily-gospel-reflection-for-june-3-2021

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from  Carmelites.ie

2020 Thursday 4 June 2020:         Memorial of St Charles Lwanga & Companions, Martyrs*

2 Timothy 2:8-15; Psalm 24; Mark 12:28-34

Again today, St Paul is encouraging St Timothy (his successor in Ephesus) in the faith and helping to strengthen him by explaining some of the mysteries about Christ and about our redemption. Though a prisoner in Rome, Paul is aware that he can still live out his vocation as a messenger of the Gospel by encouraging others, like Timothy, by providing them with inspiration through his writings and by explaining key passages in the life of Christ and of the Christian. In the Gospel, Christ gives us the great commandment to love one another, which is second only to the commandment to love God above all else. These are still the greatest commandments for us today and from them all other commandments and precepts for living flow. Retrieved 2020.06.04 from Carmelites.ie

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from  Association of Catholic Priests

2020 04 June, 2020. Thursday of Week 9

A love that is noble

The gospel links love and commandment, or Torah. Normally we do not think of love as law but as a generous response of one person to another. The highest love is a total gift of self, “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” It reaches out to others and loves them as truly as we love ourselves. Such love is worth more than all burnt offering or sacrifice. Without love, things have little meaning, while with it we are “not far from the reign of God.”

Writing to Timothy, Paul tells of what he has endured for the faith, even being thrown into chains, and of being willing to die with Christ, that we may live with him. He urges Timothy to value fidelity to Christ above mere doctrinal disputation. The main purpose of living is to do the holy will of God.

We need each other’s help, for at one time this one suffers and later it is the other who is in need. We support one another, the able-bodied caring for the weak; for sooner or later the tables are turned and the strong will be the ones needing help. And in our weakness there is still hope, as Paul writes: “If we are unfaithful God still remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.”

A question of priority

A learned Jew comes to Jesus and asks, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” There were a lot of rules and regulations in their religion and he wanted to know which one came first.

The answer went beyond the question. Jesus gave both the first and the second, to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves. These two principles are inseparable. We cannot love truly God without loving our neighbour, and in loving our neighbour we are, at the same time, loving God.

Still, the two are not on the same level, for one is first and one is second. The love of God is to be the primary love in our lives. We owe our lives to God and so we should “Seek first the kingdom of God.” If we really love God, it will overflow into love of others, and our various links with other people will reflect something of God’s love for them.

associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2020/06/04-june-2020-thursday-of-week-9/

2021 June 3, 2021. Thursday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time

A noble, worthy kind of love

Some of the finest biblical glimpses of marriage and family life appear in the Book of Tobit. The bride’s father, Raguel, expresses a noble view of marriage when he tells young Tobias, “Sarah is yours according to the rules laid down by Moses. Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven. From now on she is your beloved.” This sense of God’s blessing continues in the prayer of newly married husband: “Blessed are you, O Lord of our ancestors, who said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I take this wife not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and let us live together to a happy old age.” After blessing God and receiving a blessing, the newly-weds went to bed for their first night together. The ideal of pre-marital chastity is a given, in this culture.

The gospel links love and commandment. Normally we do not think of love as a law but as a spontaneous response of one person to another. Yet how easily what is called love can be a cloak for lust, in contrast to the noble purpose of Tobias and Sarah in their marriage. True love is a giving of self, “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” It reaches out to others and loves them for themselves, to “love your neighbour as yourself.” Such love is “worth more than any burnt offering or sacrifice.” Without love everything else loses in value, while with it we are “not far from the reign of God.”

The trials of love can chasten and purify the heart. Between the elderly couple, Tobit and Anna, divine providence worked to make the good better, the faithful heart all the more tenacious. The psalmist says of God’s word, “The promises of the Lord are sure, like tried silver, freed from dross, sevenfold refined” (Ps 12:7). Silver ore was placed in a burning cauldron. With strong heat the slack was burnt off and the pure substance remained. Such is the way of true love. It requires a lifetime to become pure and strong, ready for eternal life.

Our relationship with God

Jesus is asked a number of questions that are vital to our relationship with God. One of these is at the beginning of today’s gospel. A Jewish scribe comes up to Jesus and asks him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” There were a lot of rules and regulations in the Jewish religion at that time. He wanted to know which one was the most important. In his answer Jesus gave more that he was asked for. He was asked for the first commandment; he gave the first and second commandment, the first being to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second being to love our neighbour as ourselves. In that way Jesus was showing that these two commandments are inseparable.

We cannot love God without loving our neighbour, and in loving our neighbour we are, at the same time, loving God. Yet, the two commandments are not on the same level, one is first and one is second. It is the love of God which is to be the primary love in our lives. We owe the greatest devotion to God. As Jesus says in one of the other gospels, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” God as revealed in Jesus is to be our greatest love. If we are caught up into a loving relationship with God, it will overflow into a love of all those whom God loves, and our various human loves for other people will reflect something of God’s love for them.

associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2021/06/june-3-2021-thursday-of-week-9-in-ordinary-time/

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year

• Mark 12:28-34
• The Greatest Commandment

OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from  Fr. Stephen Yim

2021 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

9th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 04-06-2020

2 Tim 2:8-15 / Mark 12:28-34    

An invocation is a form of words that is addressed to a deity to appeal for help or for a request.

The response in the Responsorial Psalm can be called an invocation.

It is addressed to the Lord, with an intention, which is “make me know Your ways.”

So as we make this invocation: Lord, make me know Your ways, what are the ways of the Lord that we want to know?

In the gospel, the ways of the Lord are found in the love of God and the love of neighbour.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul makes known to us the way of the Lord, and that is to bear his own hardships and to bear it for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in the end they may have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal glory that comes with it.

And there is also a way that the Lord wants us to follow and it can be found in what St. Paul said to Timothy:

Do all you can to present yourself in front of God as a man who has come through his trials, and a man who has no cause to be ashamed of his life’s work and has kept a straight course with the message of truth.

Yes, we invoke the Lord with: Lord, make me know Your ways.

We want to know God’s ways, so that we too will go the ways that He has planned for us. Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim

frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2020/06/9th-week-ordinary-time-thursday-04-06.html

2021 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021

9th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 03-05-2021

Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-14; 8:4-9 / Mark 12:28-34     

There is no doubt that there is the presence of evil in this world.

From atrocities and heinous crimes to cheating and deception, such acts of evil happen every day.

The 1st reading mentions of a particular type of evil, a spiritual evil that took the lives of seven bridegrooms of the innocent Sarah.

On the wedding night of Tobias and Sarah, they were aware of the harm that the evil spirit could do, and so they turned to God and prayed for protection and for His blessings on their marriage.

In a world where we see so much evil happening, there is the temptation to return evil with evil.

But the gospel reminds us of the great commandment, and that is to love God and to love neighbour.

To carry out that commandment will entail facing resistance and opposition by the forces of evil and their agents.

We need to constantly pray for God’s protection and help to live out that commandment of love.

May our Lord God protect us from evil and bless us to be instruments of His love for others. Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim

frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2021/06/9th-week-ordinary-time-thursday-03-05.html

***************

• See Today’s Readings:  Year I,   Year II
• Back to Other Homily Sources
• Back to: Thursday of the 9th Week of the Year