Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time - B - November 3, 2024
FIRST READING
Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 was the Shema, the prayer of allegiance to YHWH that defined faith for Judaism.
2 Fear YHWH your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as YHWH, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 Hear, Israel: YHWH is our God; YHWH is one: 5 and you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart.
PSALM
Psalm 18
18 prayed to God with a sure attitude. While his love was mysterious, it would always lead us to him in the end.
For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of YHWH, who spoke to YHWH the words of this song in the day that YHWH delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said,
1 I love you, YHWH, my strength.
2 YHWH is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 I call on YHWH, who is worthy to be praised;
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me.
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
5 The cords of Sheol were around me.
The snares of death came on me.
6 In my distress I called on YHWH,
and cried to my God.
He heard my voice out of his temple.
My cry before him came into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled.
The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken,
because he was angry.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils.
Consuming fire came out of his mouth.
Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down.
Thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew.
Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,
darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
hailstones and coals of fire.
13 YHWH also thundered in the sky.
The Most High uttered his voice:
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared.
The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, YHWH,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high.
He took me.
He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity,
but YHWH was my support.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place.
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 YHWH has rewarded me according to my righteousness.
According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of YHWH,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me.
I didn't put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless with him.
I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore YHWH has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.
With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure.
With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
27 For you will save the afflicted people,
but the haughty eyes you will bring down.
28 For you will light my lamp, YHWH.
My God will light up my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop.
By my God, I leap over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect.
The word of YHWH is tried.
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God, except YHWH?
Who is a rock, besides our God.
32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
33 He makes my feet like deer's feet,
and sets me on my high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war,
so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
Your right hand sustains me.
Your gentleness has made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me,
My feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.
Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.
They shall fall under my feet.
39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle.
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
that I might cut off those who hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save;
even to YHWH, but he didn't answer them.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.
I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.
You have made me the head of the nations.
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.
The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away,
and shall come trembling out of their close places.
46 YHWH lives; and blessed be my rock.
Exalted be the God of my salvation.
47 This is the God who executes vengeance for me,
and subdues peoples under me.
48 He rescues me from my enemies.
Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.
You deliver me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, YHWH, among the nations,
and will sing praises to your name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king,
and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
to David and to his seed, forevermore.
SECOND READING
Hebrews 7:23-28
The letter to the Hebrews spoke of the Christ as the eternal High Priest. Why did Jesus fulfill this role? Simply because of his self-giving that marked him as both as the one offering sacrifice and the victim offered.
Popular Translation:
23 Many people have become high priest. But death kept them from keeping the position. 24 However, since Jesus will live forever, he has a priesthood that cannot be passed to another person. 25 So, Jesus will forever be able to save everyone who goes to God with him. After all, Jesus lives to offer prayers for these people.
26 It's right we should have such a high priest as Jesus. He is holy. He is without blame or the filth of sin. He is no longer with sinners but is now right next to God in heaven. 27 He does not need to offer sacrifice every day to God, like the high priests had to. They needed to offer sacrifice for their own sins and the people's sins. No, Jesus did this once and for all time when he offered himself to God on the cross. 28 The Law appointed weak and sinful men to the position of high priest. But the oath God made after the Law was for his Son. This is the one God made perfect forever.
Literal Translation:
23 On the one hand, (there) are many, having become priests, to be hindered by death to remain (so). 24 On the other hand, because HE remains into the (final) age, (HE) has an untransferable priesthood. 25 Wherefore, HE is able to save all into the fullness (of time) the ones approaching God through HIM, living always to make intercessions on their behalf.
26 For such a high priest is fitting for us, holy, without guile, undefiled, having been separated from sinners and (now) having been in the highest heaven, 27 WHO does not have the need to offer sacrifice day by day, just like the high priests, first on behalf of (their) own sins, then (on behalf of the sins of) the people. This HE did once for all, having offered HIMSELF up (to God). 28 For the Law appoints (as) high priest men having weaknesses, but the word of the oath taken (by God) after the Law (is for) the SON, having been made perfect into the (final) age.
GOSPEL
Mark 12:28-34
Mark's presented one of the rare times Jesus and his enemies agreed on a point of the Law. The scribe asked for a guiding principle in the Law. Jesus responded with Deuteronomy 6:4 and Leviticus 19:18; love of God and love for neighbor were the keys to entering the Kingdom.
Popular Translation:
28 After he heard Jesus and the Sadducees debating, a scribe saw Jesus answered their argument well. So he approached Jesus with a question: "Which commandment is the most important and guides our understanding of all the others?"
"The first is this," Jesus answered,
"'Listen, Israel! Our God is God, the only God!
30 You must love the Lord our God with all your heart, your spirit, your mind, and your strength.'
31 The second is this:
'You must love everyone else like yourself.'
No other commandments are greater than these."
32 "Well done, Teacher!" the scribe responded. "You're right when you said:
'He is the only God and there is no other god besides him,'
'Love the God with everything you have,'
33 and, 'love your neighbor as yourself.'
Obeying these commandments is worth far more than all the worship in the Temple at Jerusalem!"
34 Jesus saw the scribe answered wisely. So Jesus replied, "You're not far from God's Kingdom." Nobody dared to ask Jesus anymore questions.
Literal Translation:
28 After he had heard them disputing, having seen that HE answered them well, one of the scribes, having approached (HIM), asked HIM, "What sort of commandment is first of all?" 29 JESUS answered, "First is: 'Hear Israel, the Lord (is) our God; the Lord is one. 30 You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,' all your mind, 'and all your strength.'"
31 "The second (is) this: 'You will love your neighbor as yourself.' There is not another commandment greater than these."
32 The scribe said to HIM, "Well (done), TEACHER. Truly you spoke (he) is one and there is no other except him, 33 and to love him with your whole heart, with your whole understanding, and with all your strength, and to love (one's) neighbor as (one's) self is much more (than) of all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 JESUS, seeing that he answered wisely, said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." No one dared to ask him (anything) any longer.