Reflection for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection for 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 10, 2021
 
Wisdom 7:7-11: Each day  of our lives as adults besets us with decisions and challenges that we must face. We often  find ourselves compelled to make decisions regarding our careers, our relationships,   as well as moral choices. We have to decide whether a decision is morally right or wrong. Many decisions have a moral component in that they can affect the quality of life and even life or death, itself, for ourselves or others. This passage is a good reminder of the benefits of praying for prudence and wisdom. God is responsive and ever attentive to our prayers. This reading confirms that God is generous and eager   to impart good judgment and wisdom when we ask. The author of this passage clearly values wisdom over material wealth and temporal power. Contemplating this, we can ponder that while worldly riches and power fade eventually, wisdom and prudence are an eternal spiritual treasure.
 
Psalm 90: “Fill us with Your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!” Though not immediately obvious, this psalm continues the focus on wisdom; beginning with a request to be given a transcendent and wise awareness of the brevity of our time on Earth. With conscious awareness of the brevity of our time on earth, we become more cognizant of the importance of preparing our souls for our imminent entry into eternal life. The second stanza continues the request to be filled with love and kindness, as evidenced by good deeds of love and service for others that we will spiritually celebrate and rejoice over, later, after our temporal lives have ended. Note that even our sufferings and burdens can be considered blessings if we offer them up as  reparation for sins and as spiritual sacrifices. In the last part of today’s psalm, we pray for spiritual sight to be aware of the workings of God all around us. Then, we will  cultivate an outlook of trust in God. Fear not! God has a plan… even when evil seems to thrive in our world!
 
Hebrews 4:12-13: Here, St. Paul poetically proclaims how Holy Scripture is made of the fabric of wisdom, itself, as, in Scripture lies the very essence and Presence of God! What an inspiring pitch for reading Scripture for enlightenment and for the wisdom and love of which we seek. As Paul celebrates, we can join him in availing ourselves of the Love, Light and Wisdom and other graces we can gain from reading and contemplating on Scripture; especially the Gospels! As Paul so confidently proclaims, in our times of darkness, we can always read Scripture to bask in the Light of God. In times of darkness, there is always light available to us as we read, or even contemplate in our minds words of Scripture that we have previously or currently read or heard. Bask in the Light!
 
Mark 10:17-30: This riveting passage gives us the formula we need to prepare for   eternal life. As Jesus so simply and compellingly summarizes, we must obey the Ten Commandments; not just symbolically, but literally. Then, Jesus “fleshes it out.” We must put God and service to God above all else; even being willing to detach ourselves from our wealth in order to accomplish this priority. We manifest our love of God via our love and service to others. This is a very challenging reading. It makes all of us squirm when we consider the costs of   serving God. Therefore, it helps to focus on the benefits and the decision will be easier!
 
Ponderously,
 
Deacon Matt