God's Word for Today (Scripture Reflections)

  Sunday 10 November 2024- XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Mass Readings: 1Kgs 17:10-16    Ps 145    Heb 9:24-28    Mk 12:38-44 Key verse to meditate: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury (Mk 12:43). My dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, This Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time invites us to reflect on the powerful figure of the poor widow who made a humble yet profound contribution to the temple treasury. The Liturgy of the Word this Sunday introduces us to two remarkable widows, each a model of faith and generosity. In the first reading, we encounter the widow of Zarephath, who, by obeying the word of the Lord, provided for the prophet Elijah during a time of severe drought. Similarly, in today’s Gospel, we see another poor widow who offered everything she had to live on in the temple treasury, holding nothing back. In these two women, God takes notice of the poor and the generous-hearted, showi

                                             The First and Greatest Commandment Sunday 3 November 2024 – XXXI Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Mass Readings: Deut 6:2-6    Ps 18     Heb 7:23-28    Mk 12:28-34 Key Verse to Meditate: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength' (Mk 12:30). Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Liturgy of the Word brings us to reflect on the heart of God’s commandments, emphasizing the importance of love as the core of our relationship with God and others. Today’s readings touch upon the first commandment of the Law, calling us to love God with all we are and to extend that love to our neighbor. In the first reading, we encounter the Shema prayer from the Book of Deuteronomy (6:4-9), an essential declaration of faith in Israel. For devout Jews, these words are central to daily life, recited every day as a testame

Sunday 27 October 2024 – XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Mass Readings: Jer 31:7-9    Ps 126    Heb 5:1-6    Mk 10:46-52 Key verse to Meditate: As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside (Mk 10:46). Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, Today, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time presents us with the encounter of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus of Jericho. This story closes the "section on the road" in Mark’s Gospel, which began after the feeding of the four thousand with the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (Mk 8:22-26). Thus, this section starts and concludes with healings on the journey to Jerusalem, preparing us for Jesus’ eventual triumphal entry into the Holy City. Today’s readings also emphasize themes of restoration and divine inclusion. The first reading from Jeremiah envisions the blind among those returning from exile, while the second reading from Hebrews refl