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Path To Sunday

Mark Jacks
In Path To Sunday

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

MATTHEW 23:10

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

Full Gospel Passage: Matthew 23:1-12

We read today Christ rebuking the Pharisees and the practice of their priestly work for the gratification of themselves to be seen by others as being holy. They took the opportunity to show their piousness by expanding their phylacteries (small leather pouch or box that carried the law) and lengthening their tassels. They wore the façade of holiness yet were all too eager to accept places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ They were not living their purpose to shepherd the people of Israel back to God but expand their influence and status, as well as their material comfort and benefit. As a result, there were factions within the Jewish community that purported to know the fullness of the law and that if the Jewish people wanted to be truly faithful they should follow them.

Christ shows us how we are to avoid those pitfalls and look to Him and His Church: Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Following Christ and knowing Him personally is what we long for. He is the way the truth and the life and He’s given us a Church that provides us with Sacraments, moments to experience an outward sign of inward graces, to experience Him and His unending love for us. We are called to move towards Him, not to tie ourselves to worldly vices that detract from Him. To move as siblings in Christ building up His church and inviting souls outside the Christian family to join us. The parish today is the primary vehicle we can achieve that, and providing the parish with our talent, treasure, and time and seeing that those three “t’s” belong to God helps us move the mission of the Church forward, to make disciples of all nations.

Reflection

  • When have you placed appearances and worldly recognition ahead of genuine faith and service, as the Pharisees did?
  • How can you invest your time, talents, and resources to strengthen your Christian community and the Church’s mission?
  • In what practical ways can you ensure your material wealth is used to strengthen the Church’s mission and deepen your connection with Christ while avoiding worldly distractions?
Mark Jacks
In Path To Sunday

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

MATTHEW 22:37

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

In the gospel passage from Matthew 22:34-40, we are presented with a profound encounter between Jesus and a scholar of the law, who, in a quest to test the Lord, inquires about the paramount commandment within the divine law. In response, Jesus imparts divine wisdom, offering a succinct yet deeply profound answer: "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."

These words encapsulate the very heart of Christian spirituality. The first commandment underscores the supreme importance of our sacred connection with God, emphasizing that loving Him with the entirety of our being is a call to complete surrender, unwavering devotion, and steadfast faith. It's a reminder that our talents and gifts are divine blessings that should be used to serve Him and His Church.

The second commandment redirects our focus to the world around us, admonishing us to extend the love we bear for ourselves to our fellow siblings in Christ. In doing so, we're also called to share our talents and gifts with others, providing Christ and His Church with our unique abilities and skills. By serving our neighbors and the Church, we become instruments of God's love in the world.

Reflection

  • How am I currently utilizing my God-given talents and gifts to serve both the Church and my fellow siblings in Christ?
  • In what ways can I deepen my love for God with the entirety of my being, and how does this devotion influence the use of my talents in His service?
  • As I consider the call to love my neighbor as myself, what specific actions can I take to better share my unique abilities and skills with others, becoming a more profound instrument of God’s love in the world?
Put This Reflection Into Action

Give of your talents by contributing to the Liturgy of the Mass by joining a choir or serving as an usher or a greeter.

Contact Tamaron Conseur, Director of Music and Liturgy to get involved

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Mark Jacks
In Path To Sunday

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

MATTHEW 22:21

Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells us: “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” It is, in a sense, a trick question. To be sure, the government has its area of responsibility, so do pay your taxes, stop at red lights, and don’t be a terrorist. But what belongs to God? God created the universe out of nothing; it is His. The government must conform itself to God’s laws.

In our lives, we can be tempted to compartmentalize, thinking that we give God His hour on Sunday, but the rest of the week is ours. We tend to think that we can volunteer for a parish group such as St. Vincent de Paul, and then spend the rest of our time the way we want. We should volunteer and we do have other things to do.

Yet, when we volunteer, we are not giving to God and the Church community like we give to Caesar. We are giving back to God what is already, truly His.

Reflection

  • Do I isolate Church contributions, like volunteering, or see them as returning what’s already God’s?
  • In using my talents, am I aware they belong to God, actively considering contributions beyond specific times or activities for His service?
  • Am I restricting my devotion to God to certain times or activities, instead of recognizing everything as His?
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