The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Psalm 17; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 12:28-34

In our first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy we see Moses encouraging the people to follow the Law of God and to keep his commandments. If they do this then they will live in the Lord’s favour. The passage concludes with the Shema Israel – the great command to love God which is so central to Jewish faith. In the time of Christ the scribes were a very important group within Judaism because they were the ones who interpreted the Laws and sacred texts for the people. In today’s gospel we see one of the scribes asking Jesus about the most important commandment to which Jesus replies with the Shema Israel which we read in the first reading. The scribe applauds the answer and then goes on to give an explanation of the text and is in turn applauded by Christ because he is so close to the kingdom. The Shema Israel is a text which we too should take to heart and ponder on as it reminds us of the central role which God should play in our hearts and in our lives.

In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews we are told that Christ’s power to save is utterly certain. Christ is the ultimate high priest who retains his priesthood for ever and whose sacrifice for sin need never again be repeated. In the Temple it was the custom for each high priest to offer regular sacrifices to the Lord to atone for the sins of the people, but for us this was done by Christ and need never again be repeated. Our sins are wiped away and will continue to be wiped away if we turn to the Lord and ask for forgiveness with a genuine heart.

Philippians 2:1-4; Psalm 130; Luke 14:12-14

St Paul asks us in the first reading from his letter to the Philippians in northern Greece, to be a humble people and to always regard others as being better than we are. He also says that we should be of one mind thereby avoiding factions and divisions. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that we should not do something for the sake of a reward or a returned favour in this life but that we should be charitable to those who cannot give anything back. Therefore our reward will be all the greater for it will be given in the next life.

Memorial of St Charles Borromeo, Bishop

Charles was born in 1538 to a privileged background – his mother was a Medici. Though he was ordained a priest in 1563 he had been made a cardinal three years earlier by his uncle, Pope Pius IV. He was responsible in part for reassembling the Council of Trent but his greatest achievement was in sorting out his own diocese and improving the liturgy there. He was also the first to begin what are known as “Sunday Schools.” He was selfless during the plague and was one of the greatest churchmen of the Counter-Reformation. He died in 1584 and was canonized in 1610.

Philippians 2:5-11; Psalm 21; Luke 14:15-24

In our first reading from the letter to the Christians at Philippi, we have one of the most beautiful passages in Sacred Scripture in which St Paul speaks about how much Christ gave up in order to become one like us. Given his great sacrifice how can we fail to make sacrifices which are as nothing in comparison to his? In the Gospel, we have the parable of the man who gave a great banquet but whose original guests did not show up. He then gave his invite to others and they came. The message of Christ was first given to the Jews but they did not accept it so it was preached to the Gentiles and the pagans. Therefore all peoples have an invite to the eternal banquet of heaven.

Feast of All the Saints of Ireland

On November 1^st we celebrated the Feast of All Saints. Today we remember in a particular way all those Irish men and women who make up part of the Communion of Saints.

Readings

Ecclesiastes 44:1-5; Psalm 14; Luke 6:17-23

The first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes calls on us to praise illustrious men and then lists those who have held positions in society and who are remembered for their great and noble works. But in the last section it speaks of generous men and those who kept the covenants and handed them on to their children. Today we praise those Irish people who kept the faith which was handed on to them and for which they are now counted among the Communion of Saints, though their names have long since been forgotten. In the gospel, we have Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes in which Christ is promising the kingdom to those who are poor in spirit. Those who live by the Beatitudes are those who will inherit the kingdom and be counted among the Communion of Saints.

Memorial of St Nuno Alvares Pereira, Carmelite

Nuno Alvares Pereira was born in 1360 near Crato in central Portugal. He became a soldier and rose through the ranks becoming the champion of Portuguese independence. He was most decisive in ensuring Portuguese independence from the kingdom of Castile between 1383 and 1385, for which he was named Protector and Constable of Portugal. He married at the age of sixteen and his wife gave birth to three children, the two boys dying early in life. After his wife had died, Nuno joined the Carmelites in 1423 and entered the Carmo Convent in Lisbon (which he himself had founded in fulfilment of a vow, one of several churches and monasteries he had built). In religious life he remained a favourite of the king and the royal court who would not allow him to give up all his possessions or titles (he was Count of all three countdoms in the kingdom). Devoted to Our Lady, he took the religious name Brother Nuno of St Mary and lived in the Carmo until his death in 1431. He was canonized in 2009.

Philippians 3:3-8; Psalm 104; Luke 15:1-10

St Paul speaks about how perfect a Jew he himself was before his conversion. However his former standing as a Jew is often a disadvantage because people are not always ready to accept that he is now a true Christian. If we want to be accepted as true Christians then we must convert today and not continue in our sinful ways. Christ tells us in the Gospel that there is more rejoicing in heaven over the conversion of a sinner than for the right living of the virtuous. The virtuous are doing no more than is expected of them while the repentant sinner has come to accept the word of God and make it the guiding light in their life.

Philippians 3:17-4:1; Psalm 121; Luke 16:1-8

In today’s first reading from the letter to the Philippians, St Paul calls on us to remain faithful because there is a glory awaiting us which only the faithful can attain. If we are unfaithful then we will be lost forever. Paul reminds us that our true homeland is in heaven where we will share in the glorified body of Christ. In the Gospel we have the story of the steward who was to be sacked for his malpractices but who made a number of deals in order to secure his future. Our future is in heaven and so we should make that future secure by faith in God and living by the Gospel.

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

The Church commonly known as the Basilica of St John Lateran is actually dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour and St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist and was first dedicated in 324 AD. It derives its importance from the fact that it is the “Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head” (Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput – from an inscription on the front wall of the church). This basilica is also the Cathedral Church of the Bishop of Rome and Primate of Italy – the Pope (St Peter’s in the Vatican is a basilica but not a Cathedral Church). In celebrating its dedication we celebrate the dedication of our own local churches also for they are all joined together.

Readings

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 45; 1Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22

In the first reading from Ezekiel we read how a stream flowed from the Temple and gave life in abundance wherever it flowed. If we look at the distance from the Temple as a timeline then we see that over time the river grows to become a great torrent with the Temple being Christ. What is in the river could be seen as the members of the Church and what is on the banks as those who come into contact with members of the Church. Whether the people be in the river or on the bank, all receive life from the river. In the second reading St Paul reminds us that we are all God’s temple through the Spirit which has been given to us and therefore we must preserve this temple and strengthen it in the faith. The Temple is not just a stone building but it is each and every one of us who has God within them. In the gospel we see Jesus driving out of the Temple those who had dishonoured it. The Church is the house of God and it is the source of life for us and that is what we celebrate today. It is our duty to build up the Church of God – the church within each of us and the church as the unity and gathering of all who believe in Christ.