Sunday, October 31, 2021
The readings for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year B help us think of God’s commandments and if we are following them just in our heads or also in our hearts. In the first reading (Deuteronomy 6:2-6) Moses tells the people to love God above all else. The psalm (Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51) echos this with “I love you, Lord, my strength.” The second reading (Hebrews 7:23-28) Paul tells us that the priesthood of Jesus is eternal. And in the gospel (Mark 12:28B-34), Jesus commends the man who accepted the Great Commandment.
The Ten Commandments, the call to love, and Church laws are possible themes for this Sunday. Here are some ideas:
The Catholic Church teaches that moral law comes from God as "fatherly instructions" to help us determine what is right and what is wrong.
This coffee mug features the great commandment on the front "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." On the reverse side it reminds you "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." See Matthew 22:34-40.
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Is getting your family to Sunday mass a chore or a gift? Do the teens in your life resist joining you in the pew every Sunday?
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