Sunday Mass Readings and Questions
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time-October 29th, 2017
The First Reading- Exodus 22: 20-26
Thus says the LORD: "You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.
"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."
Reflection
Today’s first reading is taken from the book of Exodus—the story of the people of God as they wandered through the desert learning how to be ruled by God, so that they would be ready for the Promised Land. God gave them many laws in that time (40 years) because God was teaching them how to know and rely on God in difficult times. The laws God gave were fresh on their minds, because they were part of their experience. God told the people to be nice to others who are in need at that time because they could remember what it felt like to be in need. He told them to be nice to strangers, because everywhere they went at that time, they were strangers. Those lessons meant more because the people felt them very personally.
Adult: Are you familiar with the Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration? If you aren’t take some time this week to research it!
Teens: Why do you think God is so focused on the poor and alien? How do you personally feel about those groups? Do you agree with God that they should be given special care by those who have what they need and are settled in their homes with the benefit of citizenship?
Kids: How can we help those less fortunate than us?
Sunday Mass Readings and Questions
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time-October 29th, 2017
Responsorial- Psalm18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
Sunday Mass Readings and Questions
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time-October 29th, 2017
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
Sunday Mass Readings and Questions
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time-October 29th, 2017
Reflection
-In what ways do you rely on the Lord for strength?
The Second Reading- 1 Thes 1: 5C-10
Brothers and sisters: You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. 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. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forthnot only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
Reflection
Paul tells the Thessalonians to keep on imitating Jesus and the apostles that introduced them to Jesus as a way getting to know Jesus better. Their excellent example helped other people know Jesus, too. Imitating him is still the best way for us to teach other people about Jesus.
-Try to think of one way you can imitate Jesus every day this week.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 22: 34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "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. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
Reflection
In the Gospel a man asked Jesus what the most important law of God was. There were hundreds of laws at that time, so this could have been a tricky question - but, not for Jesus. He explains what God wants from us and what the whole law is meant to teach us—that if we love God, we will be loving toward one another. Everything that the law and the prophets said when they spoke to the people for God, was meant to make us understand this. God wants us to understand from today’s readings that, if we withhold kindness from any person—whether we think they deserve it or not—that we’re withholding our love from God. Loving God means loving others the way we love ourselves.
Questions For Discussion
Adults - What has loving your neighbor as you loved yourself meant over your lifetime? How did the meaning of that commandment change over the years for you? How does your self-image affect the way you love others?
Teens -Is there anyone that you encounter in daily life that you find hard to love? How can you reach out to them this week?
Kids - Look for people that may be feeling left out this week - how can you be extra kind to them?