Sunday:       THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Date:         November 5, 2006
Year:         B
The readings: [Deut. 6:2-6; Heb. 7:23-8; Mk. 12:28-34]
The message:  In communion with God.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1236

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Our Lord Jesus said to the scribe, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." [Mk. 12:34] There was hope for this man because he understood what it meant to be in communion with God.

Good morning! I welcome all the members of the Parish and any visitors who may be present. It is always a joy to the Lord Jesus when He sees His children gathered as one body under the roof of His Home where He is present in the Most Holy Tabernacle.

Today, we should ask ourselves, "Are we in communion with God?" In order to answer that question, we must understand what it means to be in communion with the Lord God.

Starting with the First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard Moses giving to God's people the rules that are required to be in communion with God. Now I know that there are some who do not like rules. They think that there are too many rules in this world. There are rules that have to be followed at home, rules at work, rules at school, rules in the government, rules in sports, rules in the Church, rules everywhere. But in this case, if we value our precious Salvation, these rules are absolutely mandatory. We cannot bend these rules, nor ignore them.

To secure a perfect communion with God, Moses began his discourse by telling the people to fear the Lord God. Oops! Maybe I should not have used the word 'fear.' Some Catholics do not like to hear that we must have a fear of God. That is because they do not understand the meaning of 'love' versus 'fear.'

"God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." [1 Jn. 4:16b-19]

In other words, as we get to know God and we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit to grow in the love of God, our fear of God fades away. We come to perceive that God is good and just. He is not an abusive father who enjoys punishing His children. Now, I am not saying that He does not punish His children because at times He does because they deserve it.

On this subject, the Letter to the Hebrews states, "Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." [Heb. 12:7-11]

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, it being replaced with true love in Christ.

Moses continued, "Keep all the decrees and commandments so you may live a long time, observe them diligently." In other words, no bending the rules. Perseverance is necessary, right to the end.

Then, Moses commanded to remember in their hearts that God is One and that they must love God with all their hearts, with all their souls, and with all their might. This is a total consecration to God, living for God, living with God, and living through God. Nothing is done without God! Dwelling within the believers through His Holy Spirit, every thoughts, words and action of the believers must be holy as God is holy. The believers must shine in love as God is love. That is being in perfect communion with God.

Now things have changed a little bit since the days of Moses. Have any of you 'noticed' that? (If anyone says yes, he/she must be pretty old to 'notice' the change because Moses was born over 3,500 years ago.)

In the days of Moses, the people had to approach God through the priests. As we are all called to die, some of the priests died, either of old age or of illness. That meant getting another priests to intercede to God on their behalf. But now, we have Jesus as our perfect priest through His eternal priesthood of the Order of Melchizedek. [Heb. 5:6, 7:17, 21] He is able for all time to save those who approach God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

We have the best of all high priests. Jesus is holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He does not have to make sacrifices day after day for Himself and then for others as the high priests of the Old Covenant had to do. He made the perfect Sacrifice once for all when He offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb on the Holy Cross.

To assist us in our daily spiritual growth so we may enjoy a perfect communion with God, we have Jesus, the perfect high priest, the only Mediator between God and man. [1 Tim. 2:5]

Today's Gospel Reading teaches us that the fullness of our communion with God can be achieved through two spiritual laws. First, we must "love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength." Then, we must "love our neighbour as ourselves." These are the two Commandments that summarizes all the other Commandments of God. There are no other Commandments greater than these.

These Commandments are more important than any offerings or sacrifices. If one does not have love, he has nothing. If one spends his time in prayer but cannot show love towards his neighbour, he does not have true love in him, nor does God abide in him. For God is love and those who abide in love abide in God. They care about their neighbours. They reach out to them. They support them. They encourage them to persevere.

If we obey the two Commandments of love, our daily communion with God is being perfected through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. If we obey the two Commandments of love, we are not far from the Kingdom of God.

This week, let us reflect on the status of our daily communion with God. Are we where we should be in our spiritual growth, where Jesus wants us to be for the glory of the heavenly Father? If we are, then we should persevere in the grace of God. If we are not, then we should ask the Lord Jesus to send His Holy Spirit to guide us in the right path so we may attain the holiness that God the Father seeks of all his children.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"Moses spoke to the people: 'May you and your children and your children's children fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.'" [Deut. 6:2-6]

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Second Reading...

"The priest of the first covenant were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.

For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever." [Heb. 7:23-8]

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Gospel Reading...

"One of the scribes came near and heard the religious authorities disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, 'Which commandment is the first of all?'

Jesus answered, 'The first is, 'Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other commandments greater than these.'

Then the scribe said to him, 'You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's neighbour as oneself,' - this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

When Jesus saw the scribe answered wisely, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' After that no one dared to ask Jesus any question." [Mk. 12:28-34]

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