First Reading – Exodus 22:20-26 ©
Responsorial
Psalm – Psalm 17(18):2-4, 47, 51 ©
Second
Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 ©
Gospel
Acclamation – Acts 16:14
Alternative
Acclamation – John 14:23
The Gospel According to Matthew 22:34
- 40 ©
(NJB)
The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Year A)
Listen to the word of God,
creator of the universe.
God wills
that we take care of the stranger in our company, that we do not oppress her or
him.
This is the
way to holiness.
Love the
immigrant and the alien, show compassion to the widow and the orphan, do not
abuse the poor or put them in your debt.
Consider this:
There are
times when a psalm of thanksgiving is little more than an appeal to vanity; the
psalmist gives credit to God for saving him, but it was not God. God did not
hear his voice alone among all of the others and fly from the temple to save
him.
The psalmist
saved himself, or he was saved by his allies, though he may have been spared
only by chance.
We know
this is true because God, the creator of the universe, God does not favor one
child over another, not one family, not one tribe, not one nation, not one
sect. God loves all of God’s children equally, no matter whether they live in
sin and rebellion or in the peace that comes through faith.
God, the
creator of the universe; God is not like Zeus or Jupiter, Indra or Thor. God
does not step onto the battlefield, shoot arrows and hurl lightning.
It is
foolish to think so.
Therefore be
mindful of the life you live and set the example for all those you meet as you
follow the way.
God is with
you. God will hear you, and though God will not intervene in this world to
spare you any pain, God has a plan to resolve all pain in a place beyond time
and the bounds of space.
Be mindful
of this! The grace of God is not transactional, and while love fosters love, there
is always love and God is always with you. The divine love is always present to
you, even when you are at your worst, when you are most hateful and your most destructive
self.
Consider the Gospel reading for today.
This
is the way, it is the core of Jesus’ teaching, it is the sacred path to
the divine.
Any
interpretation of Jesus’ life and mission that do not reflect these teachings
are false.
Every
pericope and parable; every metaphor, simile and analogy; every story, fable
and myth must adhere to this canon.
We
only encounter God through each other, in relationship to one another. We serve
God through the service we give to the other another. The love we bear toward
God is only made resplendent in this light.
First Reading – Exodus 22:20-26 ©
If You Are Harsh with the Widow and Orphan,
My Anger Will Flare Against You
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the sons of Israel
this:
‘“You must not molest the stranger or oppress him,
for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. You must not be harsh with the
widow, or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out
to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry; my anger will flare and I shall kill
you with the sword, your own wives will be widows, your own children orphans.
‘“If you lend money to any of my people, to any poor
man among you, you must not play the usurer with him: you must not demand
interest from him.
‘“If you take another’s cloak as a pledge, you must
give it back to him before sunset. It is all the covering he has; it is the
cloak he wraps his body in; what else would he sleep in? If he cries to me, I
will listen, for I am full of pity.”’
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 17(18):2-4,
47, 51 ©
I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, Lord, my strength,
my rock, my
fortress, my saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield,
my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise,
when I call
I am saved from my foes.
I love you, Lord, my strength.
Long life to the Lord, my rock!
Praised be
the God who saves me,
He has given great victories to his king
and shown
his love for his anointed.
I love you, Lord, my strength.
Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians
1:5-10 ©
You Broke with Idolatry and Became Servants
of God; You Are Now Waiting for His Son
You observed the sort of life we lived when we were
with you, which was for your instruction, and you were led to become imitators
of us, and of the Lord; and it was with the joy of the Holy Spirit that you
took to the gospel, in spite of the great opposition all round you. This has
made you the great example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia since it
was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread – and not only
throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread
everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us
how we started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were
converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are
now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from
heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.
Gospel Acclamation – Acts 16:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your
Son.
Alleluia!
Alternative
Acclamation – John 14:23
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my
Father will love him, and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
The Gospel According to Matthew 22:34
- 40 ©
The
Commandments of Love
When
the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together
and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the
greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your
neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the
Prophets also.’
The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Year A)
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