MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Sunday - October 10, 2021

Sunday - October 10, 2021

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”

--Saint Maximilian Kolbe

October 10, 2021

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 143

 

Reading 1                                                     Wis 7:7-11

I prayed, and prudence was given me;

        I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

    I preferred her to scepter and throne,

    and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,

        nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;

    because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,

        and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.

    Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,

    and I chose to have her rather than the light,

        because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.

    Yet all good things together came to me in her company,

        and countless riches at her hands.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

 

R. (14)    Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

 

Teach us to number our days aright,

    that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Return, O LORD! How long?

    Have pity on your servants!

R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

    that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,

    for the years when we saw evil.

R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Let your work be seen by your servants

    and your glory by their children;

and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;

    prosper the work of our hands for us!

    Prosper the work of our hands!

R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

 

Reading 2                                                     Heb 4:12-13

Brothers and sisters:

Indeed the word of God is living and effective,

sharper than any two-edged sword,

penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,

and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

No creature is concealed from him,

but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him

to whom we must render an account.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

 

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,

knelt down before him, and asked him,

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?

No one is good but God alone.

You know the commandments: You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

you shall not defraud;

honor your father and your mother."

He replied and said to him,

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,

"You are lacking in one thing.

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor

and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

At that statement his face fell,

and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

 

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,

"How hard it is for those who have wealth

to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words.

So Jesus again said to them in reply,

"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,

"Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said,

"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.

All things are possible for God."

Peter began to say to him,

"We have given up everything and followed you."

Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,

there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters

or mother or father or children or lands

for my sake and for the sake of the gospel

who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:

houses and brothers and sisters

and mothers and children and lands,

with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

 

OR:

 

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,

knelt down before him, and asked him,

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?

No one is good but God alone.

You know the commandments: You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

you shall not defraud;

honor your father and your mother."

He replied and said to him,

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,

"You are lacking in one thing.

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor

and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

At that statement his face fell,

and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

 

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,

"How hard it is for those who have wealth

to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words.

So Jesus again said to them in reply,

"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,

"Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said,

"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.

All things are possible for God."

 

********************************

 

Sharing God's Wealth

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus asks the rich young man, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good." There's a two-fold message here.

 

First, if the young man truly believes that Jesus is good and that his teachings are good (and wasn't merely trying to win him over with flattery), and if he has observed his miracles and sinless life, then it should be obvious to him that all this goodness is proof that Jesus is God.

 

Secondly, Christ's question offers the young man an opportunity to become more humble. If he truly believes what Jesus says, then he should realize that since only God is good, no one else, including himself, obeys the commandments perfectly. Such a realization should have opened his heart to the truth that Jesus explains next:

 

"There's only one thing keeping you from being holy like God: earthly attachments. To gain freedom from this world and possess only what belongs to the kingdom of God share your treasures."

 

He's saying this to all of us, but he's not telling us to become destitute. To "give up" everything we possess means being willing to give it away. If it's a good thing for us to have because it blesses us, God does want us to enjoy it, but true joy comes from being God's partner as a distributor of his wealth. It's the fullest way to live! And we are all called to live this way.

 

If we remain attached to earthly stuff, we distance ourselves from God and hurt those who would benefit from our generosity. However, to achieve complete freedom from attachments, we cannot rely only on our own efforts. It's often very difficult to let go and become willing to share everything.

 

The good news is that Jesus made it possible by taking our sins to the cross and sharing with us his own Holy Spirit, who empowers us to do whatever he asks of us. Our lives on earth become more fulfilling when we dare to share. The more we give to others in a spirit of love, the more we receive the treasures of heaven. Indeed, we become one of heaven's treasures!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, Do not let my attachment to human security prevent me from responding to Your call. Help me to give up those things that don't let me follow You. Amen.

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”