Reflection for November 3, 2024

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Deuteronomy 6:2-6 | Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 | Hebrews 7:23-28 | Mark 12:28b-34

Every baptized Christian is invited to pursue a life of holiness, a concept known as the universal call to holiness. We have just finished celebrating Hallowtide, which began on October 31st with Halloween and reached its high point yesterday on All Souls Day. These three sacred days encourage us to focus on heaven and remember our shared calling to sainthood. As we do this, we look to the great saints of our faith for inspiration and direction.

One day, Mother Teresa found a woman on the streets of Calcutta who was covered in sores infested with bugs. As Mother Teresa gently cleaned and bandaged her wounds, the woman screamed and cursed at her. Finally, the woman asked, "Why are you doing this? No one else would. Who taught you to act like this?" Mother Teresa answered, "My God taught me." The woman said she wanted to know her God, and Mother Teresa smiled, kissed her forehead, and said, "You already know Him. My God is called love."

Our First Reading from Deuteronomy teaches us how to become saints through love of God and love of neighbor. The passage includes two essential texts of the Jewish faith: the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the V'ahavta (Deuteronomy 6:4-6, 7-9). The Shema, which begins with "Hear, Israel," reminds the Israelites of God's unique nature and their relationship with the one true God. The V'ahavta, meaning "You shall love," then instructs on how to embody and live out these teachings, ensuring they are passed on to future generations. Observing Torah—the Law—means establishing right relationships with God and with all creation. This passage is so central that Jews recite it twice daily, anchoring both morning and evening prayers. These words are to be prayed, discussed, taught, displayed on doorways, and above all, made the foundation and guide of one’s life. Yet, love of God and neighbor is often easier to say than to practice and understand. Perhaps this is why we need to hear these reminders repeatedly—not just with our ears, but with our hearts. We are called to revisit these teachings daily, asking, "What does this mean here, now—in this time and place?" The cross of Christ is made up of two beams: one vertical and one horizontal. The vertical beam reaches from earth to Heaven, symbolizing God's love for us and our response to love Him in return. Just as God’s profound love led Him to come from Heaven to be with humanity, we are called to love Him and, through holiness, to strive from earth toward Heaven. The horizontal beam represents our relationships with others, embodying the call to love our neighbors as ourselves. It highlights the value of community and social responsibility, reminding us that our love must extend outward to those around us. It's inconsistent to claim devotion to God while mistreating others; charity and service lack true meaning if they aren't grounded in reverence for God. In essence, for a Christian to become holy, there must be a balance of honoring God and actively caring for others.

As a young boy, the great painter Fernando Amorsolo once tried to draw a picture of his brother, Alejandro. Using bottles of ink, he ended up making a big mess. When his mother, Bonifacia, came home, she looked at his work and said, “What a beautiful picture,” then kissed him. Later, he would say, “That kiss made me a painter.”

On the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church honors not only well-known figures such as St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Francis, St. Clare of Assisi, St. John Paul II, and St. Teresa of Calcutta, but also the humble, lesser-known saints: grandparents, ancestors, friends, and teachers who lived their faith wholeheartedly and inspired others. This day celebrates them all. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus, our eternal high priest, intercedes for us. This intercession allows God’s Word to take root in us, transforming us and drawing us closer to Him. I am personally blessed to know people I consider saints—ordinary individuals who act with extraordinary love, reflecting God’s love to others. I am proud to call them my friends, and through their friendship, I experience the love of Jesus. Being with them reassures me that I am among God’s children.

One day, a man was out on a river in a boat with a large dog he wanted to get rid of by drowning. He managed to throw the unwanted dog into the water, but the dog kept trying to climb back into the boat. In the struggle, the man fell overboard. Witnesses reported that the man would have drowned if the dog hadn’t grabbed his coat and pulled him back to shore. This story reminds us that when someone tries to harm you, it’s important to respond with kindness. We must choose love and act with love.

The Gospel reveals who is considered holy and what it means to live a holy life. With 613 commandments in the Torah, Jewish rabbis often debated which ones were most important. In today's Gospel, a scribe tries to trap Jesus by asking, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus responds by quoting two passages from the Hebrew Scriptures: the command to love God from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the command to love one’s neighbor from Leviticus 19:18. Jesus implies that true love for God is demonstrated through love for one’s neighbor. It’s not just belief that shapes us as followers, but behavior. As G.K. Chesterton put it, "Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car." For Christians, love for God is inseparably tied to love for others. This call to love is essential to the Christian life, challenging us to choose and show love in our actions. This isn’t always easy, especially when others may not treat us with kindness or may even hurt us. But Christ’s command to love remains firm, beyond any offering or sacrifice. When we strive to live out these commandments, perhaps we’ll sense Jesus affirming within us, "You are not far from the Reign of God."

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