Sunday 31st OCT 2021(1994): 31st SUN in ORDINARY: B
1. DT6:2-6
- Read DT5-8 Moses’ SecondAddress to the People in the Wilderness strongly emphasising Law/Commandments/Ordinance & linking Obedience with Blessing and Disobedience with Curse&GreatLoss. This is a theology that will later be seriously contested by Job out of his own experience. In spite of this and partly because Job himself isn’t taken too seriously, the Mosaic rhetoric is still highly valued as a disciplinary underpinning in many institutions.
- Why is ‘keeping the laws of Yahweh’ believed to contribute to length of years great numbers of children, and prosperity to those who ‘fear Yahweh’?
- What about the tendency that the Poor/sick/Destitute are somehow ‘sinners’ who are being rightly ‘punished for their disobedience’?
- What other excuses is my community using, so as to avoid make the care of Poor/WeakOnes our absolute priority?
- ‘Listen Israel!’ The credal formula called the Shema reflecting the First Commandment, it demands total commitment of resources to Yahweh(all! all! All!) by being written in the Heart. The phrase ‘The Lord our God is one Lord’ is better rendered as ‘Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone!’ If the implications are even glimpsed, this is surely the most challenging&frightening passage in the Bible demanding a ‘radical conversion’.
2. HEB7:23-28
- Read HEB7 A presentation of Melchizedeck as Model of HighPriest
- What are the strengths&weaknesses of the biblical priesthood?
- How are these reflected in my experience of the Christian priesthood?
- What is the connection between Priesthood and ‘radical care for the poor’?
3. MK 12:28-34
- Where do ‘commandments’ with their formulations&interpretations come from?
- What difference between ‘Love God’ and ‘Love Yahweh your God’?
- If Yahweh were to be give ‘all’, what would be left for the ‘other gods’?
- What are the ten principal ways I ‘love myself’ (who is this!)?
- What are the ten principal I ‘love my neighbour’ (who is this!)?
- “Love Yahweh” To absorb&actualise HisStory (‘He went into Egypt to bring out &liberate enslaved men&women!’) again&again to strive to commit to Him all my resource, to honour in every possible way His Image, which is the Poor/Weak
- In what ways is my community giving me courage to ‘loveYahweh’?
- If ‘to love’ is more important than ‘to sacrifice’ how is ‘Temple’ (&cult) affected?
- How would I prioritise these ‘reasons for/going-to-Mass
to obey the command of God &Church
to inspire in Catholics a maximum care for the PoorWeak
to thank&praise God
to increase my personal holiness
OVERALL QUESTION
Honest! All the laws! Canon Civil
Criminal! Lord it’s so confusing! Why can’t I
just be simple and love you with all my strength!!
Refections and comments can be emailed to adbi@chokmah.ie