CONTRIBUTED BY FATHER PAUL S. VOISIN, C.R.
Father Paul is a Waterloo native, was ordained to the priesthood as a Resurrectionist on May 14, 1977. He has served in pastoral ministry in Kitchener and Brantford, Ontario, education and pastoral ministry in La Paz, and formation and pastoral ministry in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He served as Provincial Superior of the Ontario-Kentucky Province from 2005 to 2008. He is presently the Superior General of the Congregation of the Resurrection in Rome, Italy.
THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
October 29, 2017
GATHERING TIME (10-15 Minutes)
Introduction to the Word:
When I was in grade school (so long ago, my report cards were on stone tablets!), we were asked to memorize works of poetry. I particularly remember one, by the English poet Leigh Hunt. It reads:
"Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
and saw, within the moonlight in his room,
making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
an angel writing in a book of gold:
exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
and to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,
and with a look made of all sweet accord,
answered: "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
but cheerily still, and said "I pray thee, then,
write me as one that loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
and showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
and lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest."
The poem of Leigh Hunt introduces something that I found intriguing, because he writes that because Ben Adhem spoke up and told that angel that he "loved his fellow men", and the angel answered that God accepted this as a valid sign of Ben Adhem's love for Him. To do one with a sincere heart leads to the completion of the other. If we truly love God, it naturally follows through that we will love what and whom God has created, and that if we love, respect, and cherish one another, we are showing love to God who created us all. Not only is it spiritual and theological, but it is logical.
Warm-up Activity
This gospel is challenging, Jesus calling us to love God, and to love one another as we love ourselves. Each one of these is not easy!
How am I conscious of loving God? What do I associate with that? How would I like to see it made manifest in my life, in my words and actions?
How am I conscious of loving my neighbour? What do I associate with that? How would I like to see it made manifest in my life, in my words and actions?
How am I conscious of loving myself? What do I associate with that? How would I like to see it made manifest in my life, in my words and actions?
The Table of the Word
The first principle of Resurrectionist spirituality is that we are loved by God, and His love is unconditional. Unfortunately, in our human condition, we often experience 'conditional' love, love that is easily withdrawn. This makes us feel not only unloved, but unlovable! Many will look at this gospel with the idea of which comes first: "Do we love God first?", "Do we begin by loving our neighbour?", or "Do we start out on the road to love by loving ourselves?" It sounds like the old 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' debate! This brings me to another story, a significant story, that speaks to us of the love of God:
In the late 1970s, one of my best friends and his wife had their first child. I was stationed in a Parish in which the Catholic hospital was located. He phoned me at 9:30 p.m. to tell me that the baby, a boy, had been safely delivered, and asked if I could come up to the hospital. So I put on my Roman collar again and headed for the Maternity Ward. When I got there, the nurses were perplexed, as they had not called for a priest. I explained my presence to them, and they took me to the room. There were the new parents and their newborn son (that I was among the first to see!). During that visit my friend's wife said to me words that I have never forgotten, "I never realized how much I was loved, until I held my own child in my arms".
WOW!!!! That is the love of God for us, as we are a part of Him, the same way that our parents are a part of us. If only we could really believe that we are so loved by God; then our love to others would reflect that unconditional, merciful and generous love; and then we would realize how precious we are in God's sight, and that we are loved and lovable.
Penitential Rite:
We were created out of love by God, and are called to receive and give love. As we share that love we make God present to those around us, and bear witness to the unconditional love of God.
Lord Jesus, you are most worthy of my love, respect, and obedience.
Lord, have mercy
Christ Jesus, my sisters and brothers seek love, acceptance and respect
Christ, have mercy
Lord Jesus, I seek love, acceptance and respect Lord, have mercy
Let us pray:
Almighty, ever-living God,
increase our faith, hope and charity,
and make us love what you command,
so that we may merit what you promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME
(As Christians we believe that the WORD of God we hear proclaimed each Sunday is an empowering Word, and that God is present in the Word proclaimed. This is the Word that God wants us to hear today. The dynamic of the Small Christian Community, namely, reflecting on our life-story within the context of this Word, and sharing the insights of these reflections, is such that God’s Spirit becomes present, and the gifts of the Spirit are experienced as empowering and life-giving.)
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 neighbours among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbour'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.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING: (1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10)
Brothers and sisters: You show 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 forth not 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.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL: (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 first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
(Allow two minutes for quiet and for a brief reflection)
COMMENTARY:
The First Reading may be a bit scary for us. God is depicted as a harsh God of punishment. He leaves no doubt in our minds that He is on the side of the downtrodden and marginalized. Those who do evil will be punished. He reminds the Israelites that they, too, were downtrodden and marginalized, and must be more understanding and merciful to others. God does not want the persecuted and oppressed to become the persecutors and the oppressors. He is compassionate and loving to those who do His will, and treat others with love and respect. He hears and is attentive to the cry of the downtrodden and marginalized.
In our Second Reading, St. Paul acknowledges that our lives make a difference, that our testimony is significant in the lives of others. Sometimes we doubt that our words and actions have any influence or affect in the lives of others. Not so! As he says, if we are "imitators of the Lord" we will be free from sin and punishment. St. Paul reminds us that not only our words are significant, but our example bears witness to Christ. At times, when we least expect it, we are indeed doing the will of God and sharing the life of Christ with others. That was St. Paul's vocation, and it is ours!
Our Gospel is not just a reading for prayer and reflection, but a call to action. Desires and plans to be more loving to our family and friends, coworkers and neighbours, are not enough. Desires and plans to deepen our walk with the Lord, and spend more time in prayer and study are not enough. Desires and plans to take better care of ourselves are not enough. We must move beyond desires and plans to concrete actions that witness to the fact that we were loved first by God, and that our response to love is love. All three manifestations of our love are so intimately united that it is artificial to separate them. As we grow in one, we grow in the others. As we stall and are hesitant in one, we put the brakes on growth in the others. Our hope and salvation is that we do not make our desires and plans alone, but that the Holy Spirit is with us with abundant grace and power to make our desires and plans a reality. The more we understand God's love, the more we will expect it, experience it, live it, and share it.
(Allow about 5 – 10 minutes for the participants to react to the Commentary to identify a newly discovered insight or idea.)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
1. "I am compassionate" (Exodus 22:20-26)
The word "compassion" is a tremendous word, as it means "to suffer with". It is a world of difference between pity and compassion! As God is compassionate we are called to be compassionate.
a) How I am compassionate with the people in my life? Do I run away from their suffering, their confusion, and their anxiety?
b) How have I experienced the compassion of someone else? What were its results in my life at that time?
c) How do I feel when the only compassion I can show, at the moment, is to accompany in silence?
2. "You became imitators of us and of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10)
St. Paul was forever calling his listeners - his converts - to a deeper life in Christ. It was not enough to just be an observer or a listener, but he called them to be active and participative.
a) In what ways would I hope that others imitate me?
b) How do I identify myself imitating the Lord?
c) Who in my life, among family and friends, have I "imitated" that has brought me closer to the Lord?
3. "With all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:34-40)
Jesus asks for a total giving of ourselves, as He modeled for us by His life, death and resurrection. The cross proclaims that true love, inspired by God, means sacrifice.
a) What does it mean to me to do something "with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind"?
b) Does a particular moment, experience or occasion in my life reflect when I gave my "all" to the Lord?
c) Have I encouraged others, by word and example, to give their all, or am I happy with mediocrity and 'playing it safe'?
CARING - PRAYING TIME
1. Word for the Week: "You became imitators … of the Lord"
2. Suggestions for the Week:
Returning to the poem by Leigh Hunt, we all want our name in the "Book of Gold". However there comes a price for that justification and blessing. It will not be as easy as it was for Abou Ben Adhem to just ask for it, choosing which manifestation of love (God, neighbour, self) will be sufficient for salvation. During this week, try to be more conscious of your love (1) for God, by prayer, reflection and devotion, (2) for your 'neighbour' by showing patience, compassion, and charity, and (3) for yourself by taking care of your self - physically, spiritually and emotionally. Be aware of yourself as an "imitator" of Jesus, and recall His reaching out to others - often the last and the least. Remind yourself of his perseverance in calling out to the self-justified and self-righteous, and not giving up on them. Surprise someone by your understanding, your forgiveness, or your availability to them. It may be the beginning of a new relationship of love and confidence, imitating the love of God.