31st Sunday of Ordinary Time
Dt 6:2-6, Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51, Heb 7:23-28, Gospel: Mk 12:28b-34
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God - the Lord alone!
The Annunciation - Having a life of prayer and a heart that is open to the presence of the Holy Spirit
That means that I do not live a life that is offensive or rejecting God.
Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart
The Visitation - That means that I have in my heart the love that God has for me and that I begin to find ways to allow that love to transform the relationships of my life so that they too encounter the power of God’s love.
with all your soul
The Incarnation - Mary had a radical openness to the presence of the Holy Spirit in her life. Because of her ability to say YES to God, he took on flesh in her womb.
The soul is the essence of who we are, it is not who we imagine or think we are but who we are in the eyes of God - who he created us to be. A Life of Conversion, a life of Loving God with all our Soul means that we strive to be transformed into the one God created us to be - unmarred by sin and death.
When we love God with all our soul, we are radically open to His presence in our life - He becomes the focus of our existence.
with all your strength
The Presentation and Finding of the Child Jesus in the temple. Being a Christian is not easy - it is hard. At the presentation Mary hears from Simeon that “a sword of sorrow will pierce her heart” - and yet she does not flinch or turn away. Then in the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple after three days - took much strength and worry. To Love God with all your strength takes courage when the chips are down, when you face persecution or it becomes difficult to give the Christian Witness. This is where having a life-line to the Lord is essential.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
After the shepherds visited the Holy Family St. Luke tells us that Mary kept all these things in her heart reflecting on them. She took to hear the Word made flesh, and throughout the rest of her life reflected that word to those who knew her.
We too have the opportunity to take these words into our hearts today - when we receive the Eucharist we take these words into our heart. We open ourselves up to a time of transformation in which Christ can be placed first in all that we do this week.
