As we continue Matthew’s Gospel, we hear this week of the two greatest Commandments: “You shall 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 is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” We sing this weekend of various aspects of this love that we are called to – from love of God and Christ in our opening hymn; to love of our neighbor in our closing song, which calls us to love and serve the Lord by serving one another. Through following the first Commandment, we are ultimately led to the second Commandment. Through these different aspects of ‘love’, Christ shows us the way to His Father.
How do we reflect upon the first reading in light of the Gospel? “You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:20) or even “If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him.” (verse 24) Remember the concluding line, too: “I will hear him; for I am compassionate.” (verse 26) Should we not be the same?
On a different note, during this time in our liturgical year, our read-ings on Sundays and our feast days start to remind us of the end of time, towards Christ’s Second Coming. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints followed by the feast of All Souls the next day. As we look forward to the coming of Christ’s reign, it is natural to reflect upon the lives of those we have loved who are no longer with us. On November 2, the Feast of All Souls, we remember our loved ones who have died. We will have a Mass at 7PM on November 2. There is no sign up for this Mass. All are welcome to attend to pray for the deceased in our families as well as our friends. During this season, we also have a Book of Remembrance set up in the Gather-ing Area. All are welcome to write down the names of friends and family members who have died, who will be remembered in our pray-ers during this time. Additionally, if you would like, you may bring a picture of your deceased loved one to church to be displayed in the windowsills. Please make sure to put your name and phone number, along with the deceased’s name (birth date and death date if you wish) on the back of the photo. You can pick them up after the
weekend of November 15.