November 3
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
“I love you, Lord, my strength.”
Readings
Reflection
We can all agree that the Jewish people have suffered greatly throughout the history of our world. From the time of the Holocaust to the massacre on October 7th, 2023, Jewish people have been targeted for everything from verbal abuse to murder. Yet their history is also filled with nobility, courage and kindness from the beginning of time to today. One of the main reasons for their resilience as a people is their adherence to something called the Shema Israel–the great command to love God which is so central to Jewish faith. This is the prayer that God taught to Moses, and that Moses in turn taught to his followers on the way to the promised land.
Today’s first reading from Deuteronomy concludes with the Shema, with Moses telling the Israelites that their love for God must be all-encompassing. In today’s gospel we see a scribe, a member of an important sect of the Jewish leadership, asking Jesus about the most important commandment to which Jesus replies with the Shema Israel, the same prayer that Moses taught to the Israelites. 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.
The question that we must ask ourselves today is this; What kind of love do we have for the Father and for our neighbor? Jesus tells us that our love must be extraordinary in order to pave the way to heaven for ourselves and for those we care about. We know that the Holy Spirit will help us to learn to love others in the way God wants us to. Let us turn to the grace of God, and learn to embrace the love that is embodied in the Shema of God.
Peace,
Deacon Dare
Would you like to receive these reflections in your inbox? Subscribe to The Sunday Read newsletter.