30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Mass Readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
- First Reading – Exodus 22:20-26: “If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.”
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 18: “I love you, Lord, my strength.”
- Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1:5C-10: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”
- Gospel – Matthew 22:34-40: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Themes for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
The readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A are a call to love. The first reading tells how we are to treat other people, especially the poor, oppressed, and marginalized. The second reading reminds us that how we live should show that we are followers of Jesus. And in the gospel Jesus gives us the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule.
- Social justice
- Different types of love
- Discipleship
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.
Resources for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
A Prayer to God My Rock
This prayer to God My Rock is a prayer of thanksgiving. No matter what we are going through in life, God is there to support us. This prayer is based on Psalm 18 which is the responsorial psalm for this Sunday.
What Is Love? Reflection and Questions
In this reflection, teens consider how they define love. They also discuss what the is different between liking someone and loving someone.
Do One of the Corporal Works of Mercy
The gospels show us that Jesus reached out to those in need. His life is a model for how we should interact with others. One way to do this is through the Corporal Works of Mercy.
Homilies and Reflections for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Wanting to Fix People
People are not cars. In this video, Fr. Mike Schmitz explains that when a car is broken, we fix it, or replace it, or ignore the problem. We can’t deal with people like that. Instead we can learn to accept the person and move on to delighting in the other person’s flaws. And this results in love.
The Great Commandment
From Bishop Robert Barron. Today’s magnificent Gospel should set the tone for your entire life. Trying to trap him, the Pharisees ask Jesus which of the commandments of the law is the greatest. His clear and simple answer is that we should direct all our love toward God, and therefore, love what he loves.
Love Commanded
From Scott Hahn. Devout Israelites were to keep all 613 commands found in the Bible’s first five books. Jesus says today that all these, and all the teachings of the prophets, can be summarized by two verses of this law.
The Law of Israel
Also from Bishop Barron. A careful reading of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, reveals that Israelite identity was determined through three sets of laws: liturgical, ritual, and moral. In Catholicism, the liturgical laws have been sublimated and the ritual laws largely set aside. But what about the moral law?
More Thoughts for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
The laws which God gave to Israel were meant to protect the vulnerable: widows, orphans, foreigners. They were meant to alleviate suffering, and to remind the Isrealites that they had also suffered and that God had rescued them.
Jesus points out that the many laws were all contained in “Love God” and “Love your neighbor.” This is the point of these precepts. The word used for love is “agape” which is more than just a feeling of friendship or affection. It is a love committed to action.
So we are also called to love the marginalized in our world. And we must not just love them by thinking well of them. We are called to action.
Reflection Questions for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
- What action have I taken lately to love my neighbors?
- Who needs my help in the world today?
- Do I consider all people my neighbors, even those I have strong disagreements with?
Quotes and Social Media Graphics for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Leave a Reply