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Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 5, 2000
Moses spoke to the people, saying: "Fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life. Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."
Second Reading--(Hebrews 7:23-28)
The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
Gospel Reading--(Mark 12:28b-34)
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, 'He is One and there is no other than he.' And 'to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself' is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Pastor's Message: Insight
Could it really be that insight is better than foresight by a
darn sight? Still, there is many a forward look in a backward glance. And
while hindsight is good, and foresight is better, insight is the
very best of all. For the most important thing is not just seeing the handwriting
on the wall, but actually reading it. Probably, the only thing that actually
enables a person to look forward from behind is a rear-view mirror. Usually,
the old see better behind than do the young before. But the big problem
with growing old is that there is not much future in it. Alas, too many
people worry about the future rather than really preparing for it. However,
the wise and prudent person always realizes that the very best thing to
save for the future is one's soul. Surely, our future will be decidedly
different if we but make the present a lot different. Amazingly, unwise
people are still planning for the future after it is in the past. Whereas,
wise people are constantly aware that their future just keeps right on
getting shorter and shorter and . . .
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and
Lea Thompson, and tells the humorous story of Dr. Emmett Brown (Lloyd)
who has perfected a device for time travel. Marty McFly (Fox) inadvertently
activates the device and finds that he has traveled back to 1955, where
he encounters his own parents as teenagers. In addition, Marty then discovers
that he does not have enough special plutonium fuel to return to the future
(1985). All this makes for a lot of real fun and nostalgia.
Some people have a tremendous sense of insight. Like they can
read the editorial page in the newspaper, watch a movie, hear a joke and
really learn something very valuable from them all. While other people
experience only superficial entertainment or mindless boredom from these
very same things. Surely, there were people who listened to the teachings
of Jesus and they were immediately filled with understanding and inspiration.
Yet, others seemed to get nothing good out of anything He said. And certainly,
this was the case for many of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus reminded
them that they would die in their sins if they did not wake-up, for in
seeing they adamantly refused to see and in hearing they stubbornly and
rigidly refused to hear and to understand. This gospel passage relates
the encounter Jesus had with one of the Scribes, and how Jesus approved
of his insight regarding the first and the second of all the commandments,
and then told him, "You are not far from the reign of God" (MK 12, 34).
Surely, we all need insight into the divine truths of Almighty God.
It is the constant recommendation of our Church that we pray daily for
this heavenly insight. Additionally, we should pray frequently for
the wisdom to truly know how to best use the knowledge given to us by this
Godly insight, as well as the determination, strength and courage
to live-it out in our daily lives. For it is the penetrating insight
of the Lord that opens for us the vast wonders of truth and beauty that
we can fully discover -- even here, even now -- in God's magnificent creation.
Fr. George Griffin