Reflection for October 31, 2021

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 called to be holy. This understanding is known as the universal call to holiness. Today is Hallowmas or All Hallows' Eve. Tomorrow's Solemnity of All Saints calls us to turn our gaze toward heaven and remember that we are all called to be saints. In doing this, we look at all the great saints of our faith for inspiration and guidance.

​One Day Mother Teresa took a woman off the streets in Calcutta. She had sores infested with bugs. Mother Teresa cleaned and dressed her sores while the woman never stopped shrieking and even using swear words and insults. Finally, the woman asked Mother Teresa, "Sister, why do you do this? Not everyone behaves like you. Who taught you?" Mother Teresa replied, "My God taught me." The woman said she wanted to know her God. Mother Teresa kissed her on the forehead and said, "You know my God. My God is called love."

Our First Reading from the book of Deuteronomy teaches us how people become saints  — Love of God and love of neighbor. The text contains two passages that constitute the core creed of Jewish Faith, namely the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the V'ahavta (Deuteronomy 6:4-6, 7-9). On the one hand, the Shema Yisrael (Hear, Israel) calls the Israelites to remember God's essence and their relationship with the one God. On the other extreme, the V'ahavta (You shall love) describes how people are to embody and live out the teachings of Torah and pass them on to future generations. Keeping Torah (The Law) entails establishing right relationship with the divine and with all that exists. This text is so important that it is recited by Jews twice daily, forming the centerpiece of both morning and evening prayer. These are words to be prayed, spoken about, passed on, worn, posted on doorways — but even more, to be the focus and guide for one’s entire life. Love of God and love of neighbor are easier said than done, and understood. Which is perhaps why we need to hear these reminders over and over, not just with our ears, but with our hearts — and return to them again and again, and ponder anew every day, “What does this mean here, now—in this place and at this time?”

When the great painter Fernando Amorsolo was a young boy he decided to draw a picture of his brother, Alejandro. He got out bottles of ink and succeeded in making a mess. When his mother, Bonifacia got home she said, “What a beautiful picture,” and kissed him. Later in life he said, “That kiss made me a painter.”

On the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church honors not only the towering figures like Sts. Peter and Paul, Augustine, Francis and Clare of Assisi, John Paul II and Teresa of Calcutta, but also the humble saints as well, those whose names are known to few or to none: the grandparents and ancestors, the friends and teachers who lived their faith to the full and inspired faith in others. This is a day to celebrate them all. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus intercedes for us as our eternal high priest. Intercession causes us to internalize God’s Word and changes us. Intercession brings us closer to God. I personally know of people who I consider saints. These are ordinary people who do things with extraordinary love; in doing so, their lives mirror God’s love to others. I admire them and are proud to call them my friends. Through their friendship, I feel the love of Jesus. When I’m with them, I know that I am among God’s children.

A man was seen one day going in a boat on a river with a large dog, which he wished to get rid of by drowning. He succeeded in throwing the unwanted animal into the water, but the dog kept trying to get back into the boat. As the man was attempting to beat the dog from the boat, he fell overboard. Witnesses say that the man would have himself drowned if the dog had not seized him by his coat and brought him to shore. When someone tries to do you harm, do them good in return. We have to choose love, and do love.

The Gospel tells us who are considered saints. What does it mean to be holy? How can one live a holy life?  With some 613 commandments in the Torah, it was inevitable that Jewish rabbis would dispute and debate among themselves about which commandments were the most important. In our Gospel, a scribe attempts to trap Jesus with the question: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus answers by quoting two passages from the Hebrew Scriptures: the command to love God from Deuteronomy 6:5, and the command to love their neighbor from Leviticus 19:18. Though not in so many words, Jesus is implying that the verification of love of God is to be found in the love of one's neighbor. Your belief doesn't not make you a better person. Your behavior does. Gilbert Keith Chesterton explained it well when he said, "Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car." Love of God is incarnated integrally with the love of one's neighbor. In other words, the life of a Christian is, beyond all else, a life of love. In this election season, in this pandemic, we have to double down on love. We have to choose love, and do love. That’s easier said than done, especially when we recognize that others don’t always treat us with that sense of selfless love and sometimes even downright hurt us. But, nevertheless, Christ’s law of Love stands firm. We are to love. Always. That's worth more than all burnt offerings or any burnt sacrifice. Perhaps as we reflect on this and try to follow these commandments, Jesus will say to us deep in our hearts, "You are not far from the Reign of God." <enrique,ofs>