Sunday Sermon October 29, 2023

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Sunday Reflection (October 29, 2023)

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The concept of “holiness” in Leviticus is not about a solitary holy man or holy woman practicing an esoteric version of holiness that few achieve. Rather, it was about practicing holiness in community with others. When Jesus was questioned about the Greatest Commandment, he spliced two commands from the Torah. The first from Deuteronomy: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,” and the second from Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Holiness is not about being spiritually superior, rather it is about loving God and neighbor. Lest we think it only about our neighbors, Leviticus reminds us that such love even expands to immigrants (19:33-34). Our holiness is revealed in our dealings with and treatment of others. Holiness is found and practiced in relationships with others.

Prayer for the Week (October 29-November 4, 2023)

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Prayer for the Week

Let us pray that our love of God become real and tangible in love for our neighbor: God, you display your almighty power in loving us without regret. In Jesus your Son, you have shown us the depth of divine love. Give us a love that is forgiving, generous, and gentle like his, so that we recognize and welcome him in others. May our hearts reach out first to the poorest and the least lovable with the gratuitous love you have given us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

                                                 (Claretian Publications)

                                   

                         

Devotion October 25, 2023

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Devotion October 24, 2023

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Sunday Reflection (October 22, 2023)

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If Moses, the friend of God, was not able to see God face to face, where does that leave me? We cannot see God face to face but that does not mean we know nothing about God.  Although Moses did not see God directly, he did receive the Ten Commandments, and to this day they are even familiar to us Gentiles thousands of years later. Like Moses, we are finite and not able to fathom the depths of an infinite God, but we are able to bear witness to God’s glory after God has passed (Exodus 33:18-23).
 
God’s glory came to us in Jesus Christ, and we crucified him, but in the resurrection of Jesus, we recognize God’s glory and triumph over death, hatred, malice, and violence. “We recognize God’s reality by seeing the difference God has made in people’s lives (Etz Hayim),” and in our understanding, the struggles to overcome hatred, malice, and violence.

Prayer for the Week (October 22-October 28, 2023)

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Let us pray to the Lord who bends close to hear our prayers: Lord our God, Father of all, you guard us under the shadow of your wings and search into the depths of our hearts. Remove the blindness that cannot know you and relieve the fear that would hide us from your sight. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
                                                             (Sunday Missal, alt.)

                                   

                         

Sunday Sermon October 22, 2023

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Devotion October 18, 2023

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Devotion October 17, 2023

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