My house shall be a house of prayer

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs | USCCB

In our gospel for today we hear of the Lord driving out those that were selling in the temple. What these people were selling were usually pigeons and doves that people would use to offer sacrifice to the Lord God. But these sellers were taking advantage of the people that needed these animals for their sacrifice. The sellers were overcharging for these animals that the people needed for their sacrifice. They weren’t interested in true prayer and worship but rather in making a profit at the expense of the people. Further, the focus become more on buying the animal for sacrifice rather than on worshiping God in the temple. The focus should always be on having God as the center of our worship, not on buying something to bring to the altar for sacrifice.

Let us ask ourselves: when we enter Church: are we focused on developing a closer relationship with God? Or do we allow other things in our lives distract us from being focused on praising God? Entering church, we need to be focused on developing a closer, loving relationship with God. If we come into church with cares and worries that may be part of our lives, place them at the foot of the altar. Don’t allow these cares and worries to distract your attention from worshiping God. Our Lord doesn’t want us to be thinking about what we need to do once we leave or about the problems we may be facing. He wants us to be present to him and to offer all our cares into his loving arms. These cares and worries can be like those sellers that steal our attention from God and prevents us from growing closer to Him.

Our cares and concerns about our own problems are the sacrifices that we need to bring before God each time we enter church to pray, or even during our private time at home in prayer. Placing our cares and concerns into God’s loving hands is a beautiful sacrifice that God will be pleased with. He will bring us peace and comfort once we say, “Lord, I trust in you.”

Regarding prayer, Pope Saint John Paul II said, “In prayer you become one with the source of our true light – Jesus Himself.”

May God’s love and peace always surround us during our times in prayer, whether at church or at home. And may we have that peace that can come only from God through Jesus Christ.

So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious | USCCB

The readings of these days speak of the 'end times' as we bring the liturgical year to a close. We can use them as an opportunity to recognize who we are and where we are going: We all are created by God and are being drawn to live fully with God.

In our gospel for today, the Lord is talking about what it will be like upon his return at the end of time and was comparing it with other events that happened in the Old Testament. Jesus mentions about how people during the time of Noah were more concerned about their sinful activity than turning towards God. They were living lives that were sinful and selfish. They had no interest in obeying the commandments of God. Our Lord also mentions the time of Sodom, where the people were more interested in their sinful activity than obeying the commandments of God. As in the days of Noah with the flood and with the fire and brimstone in the time of Sodom, people suffered punishment for living lives contrary to the commandments of God.

Our Lord goes on to say in today’s gospel, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” What our Lord is trying to teach us in this is that, while we are to live responsible lives by taking care of our families and paying our bills, we are to have God in the center of all we do. As we go through our days doing the things, we need to do in order to survive and be happy, we will find true happiness in placing our lives into the loving hands of God. God will always be there to help us and guide us in times of trouble and good time. In all we do we need to do it with the love of God as the center who we are and the love of those who God has placed into our lives.

The ‘end gospels' call on us to trust. Losing and saving our lives is in the hands of God as is all else. Trust is the big call of every relevant relationship. Prayer is a gateway to growth in trust in God.

XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Today we have a recurring guest blogger:  Fr. Arthur F. Rojas, pastor of PRESENTATION OF THE B.V.M CHURCH, PORT EWEN AND SACRED HEART CHURCH, ESOPUS. For more information on this parish, check out their website at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary & Sacred Heart Churches - Port Ewen - Esopus, NY (presentationsacredheart.org) 

Submission to the blog of Dcn. Thomas Tortorella for XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Arthur F. Rojas © All Rights Reserved by Rev. Fr. Arthur F. Rojas, November 7, 2023 ©

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Recently, I met a Freemason while at a luncheon away from our parish. As I identified the Masonic pin on the lapel of his suit jacket, when I asked what church he belonged to, his first answer was that he believed in God. I replied that while the Freemasons acknowledged the existence of a Supreme Being, that being is not the God of Christian revelation, especially when that being is understood in Deistic terms or with mixtures of pagan, esoteric, and Christian themes. Furthermore, it is said that in Masonic rituals, the Holy Bible, the Qur’an, and the Torah are given equivalent honor. Although he was not a Catholic Christian, I questioned what the founders of his Protestant denomination would think of a sect that acknowledged divine inspiration of Sacred Scripture outside the Holy Bible (remember that the Torah itself is composed of the first five books, but only five, of the Old Testament). To avoid prolonging the encounter, I did not point out how the Masonic lodges eagerly supported efforts to oppose, persecute, and even exterminate the Catholic Church going into the 20th century, such as in Mexico.

If we are not careful or discerning, our search for wisdom and even for God Himself as set forth by the first two readings at Mass in the Ordinary Form today, could lead us to confusing mere knowledge, even esoteric knowledge, for wisdom or even beneficial contact with God. When the Freemason told me that he knew Catholics who belonged to Masonic lodges, I conceded the point glumly. However, I pointed out that Catholics who join Freemasonry incur mortal sin due to the above errors of the Masons and because of the Masonic oath involved in joining their lodges. Although there are those who cite the 1983 Code of Canon Law discontinuing the excommunication that applied to Catholics since 1738 who were Freemasons as somehow allowing Catholics to join their company, as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in that same year Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI of blessed memory, with the approval of St. John Paul II, reiterated that Masonic membership and ritual activity by a Catholic are irreconcilable with the Catholic faith and thus casts him in mortal sin and unable to receive Holy Communion. Cf. No sincere Catholic should join the Masons, Fr. William P. Saunders, Arlington Catholic Herald, Jan. 30, 2013, via www.catholicherald.com Perhaps the Mason whom I met thought that at the end of his life, his search for “light” would lead him to the “celestial lodge.” Let us recall the Lord’s words to the foolish virgins in today’s Gospel (Mt 25:11-12), “Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us! But He said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” Perhaps the Lord put me in that Mason’s path to shed true light on the state of his soul and to invite him to reconsider with what “oil” he fuels his candle of life. As for Catholics, these reasons above are only a partial listing – even if a Catholic claims to join Freemasonry or its variations mostly or solely for professional, charitable, or social uses – why no sincere Catholic can become a Freemason and why no impenitent Freemason can be a Catholic in good standing in this life, let alone regarding eternity.

Thus, I aspire to proclaim the Gospel of Christ

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church | USCCB

In our first reading for today’s mass, we return to the Letter of Paul to the Romans. In today’s reading Paul mentions about being a minster of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. There were those in the time of Paul who thought the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was meant to be the savior only for the Jewish people. But, as Paul discovered as he grew in his ministry and relationship with God, is that the message of Christ’s Salvation is open to all people. Not only to the Jewish people, but to all people.

We, too, like Paul, are called to bring the love of Christ to all people. Christ came into the world to bring the love and salvation of God not only for a select few, but for all people. He came into this world to bring all people into relationship with God and that salvation which is the forgiveness of our sins. Christ is calling ALL people, Jews & Gentiles alike, into that relationship with God that allows us to not only show love towards God but also to our neighbor.

Earlier in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, in chapter 13, we hear Paul remind us of that great commandment of God: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Paul says, “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10)

During the next few weeks, we will start preparing for family get-togethers at Thanksgiving and for Christmas. These can be challenging times that will bring people together that we may not really get along with, whether they be family or friends. But as Paul reminds us of the teaching of Christ, we are to love one another and we are to do no evil towards those that may be difficult to get along with. “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Further, during this holiday season, let us remember those who may not be as fortunate as we are. There will be those who will not have family or friends during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Let’s reach out to those who may be alone this season and bring the love and joy of this season. It’ll allow them to feel the love and joy of Christ that Paul is teaching us. We can do this by donating food to places that will serve those in need, or by donating money to those charities that serve the poor and hungry. By doing so, we are bringing Christ’s love into a world that needs to know of His peace and love.

"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?

 

Scripture readings for today can be found at Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In the continuing conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus, we see another example of how the Pharisees were looking more legalistically at following the law of keeping holy the sabbath to the exclusion of helping those in need. The message from Jesus is that by helping those in need during the sabbath is not in violation of this commandment of the sabbath.

All throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, his focus was to bring people to salvation and to help them know that God is a loving and caring God, worried about their health and well-being. Jesus, in other parts of scripture, when asked about what the greatest commandment is, responded, “The first commandment is: You shall love the Lord God with your whole mind, heart and soul; and the 2^nd is like the first: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:34)

Looking at this gospel through the focus of our Catholic Christian tradition, we are to learn that, yes, it’s important and a priority, even an obligation, to attend Holy Mass every Sunday, and to avoid any unnecessary work. But there are times when we may have a sick spouse, relative or child that would prevent us from attending Sunday mass. Considering Jesus’ question, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?" I would say that the focus would be on the helping and healing of your sick loved one. By being present to someone who is sick, whether during the week, or on a Sunday, that, too, can be your worship of God. By serving the needs of those who are sick and in need of your presence, you are serving God, and this, too, is a form of worship.

Being present to a sick person during their time of need is an ideal time to not only make sure they are receiving the medical help they need, but during the quiet time of being present with this loved one,  you can offer your prayers for their healing, and to place their health concerns into the loving hands of God to respond in a way that is best for their needs. By doing so, you are fulfilling your obligation of keeping holy the sabbath.