Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

11-04-2018Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

In the first reading taken from the Book of Deuteronomy we hear of Moses who having received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, set about teaching them to the Israelites, God’s chosen people. He promised them temporal rewards if they remained loyal to their God who was one and only God and would prove their loyalty by observing his commandments. He told them that these rules, the Decalogue, are essential to be in communion with God. To secure a perfect communion with God, Moses began his discourse by telling the people to fear the Lord God. Therefore fear, that involves discipline, is part of the sanctifying process of the soul. When the believer has reached a higher level of holiness, the fear fades away, and is being replaced with true love in God.

In the second reading we are told how Christ saved us all by offering himself. As a High Priest he offered himself once and for all to God for our sake. The efficacy of his priesthood really began when he rose from the dead. In the Gospel we have the summary of the Law given by Jesus to love God with the whole heart, mind and strength and to love ones neighbor as the person would love himself or herself.Jesus says that there is no commandment greater than these.

The personal lesson that is visible from today’s Gospel to every Christian is that the solid foundation of our Christian religion is love of God and neighbor. All other commandments are expansions of these two and indications of how we are to put these commandments into daily practice.The law tells us we cannot harm the life or name of another. This is because every person belongs to God. It is God who gave him life and the same God has given us the command to love and respect all persons.

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