“They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." (Mk 12:40)
FIRST READING - 1 Kgs 17:10-16
First reading from the First Book of Kings
In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink."
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
"Please bring along a bit of bread."
She answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die."
Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
'The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.
SECOND READING from the Letter to the Hebrews -
Heb 9:24-28
Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mk 12:38-44
From the Gospel according to Mark
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,
"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation."
He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood."
THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 12:38-44)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Word of God, God wants to teach people that: we must have a heart that loves God and loves our brothers and sisters sincerely. That means God needs sincerity coming from the heart of people, otherwise it is just the hypocrisy of Satan.
Therefore, people today should know how to share, love, and protect each other, do everything, and offer everything they have. This is so that God can give back to people what He sees as necessary, especially He will give the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future. That is also the accumulation of wealth for the Kingdom of Heaven, when people know how to sincerely dedicate themselves and give through the practice of love, selfless service and sharing without calculation. Like the image of the widow in the time of the prophet Elijah, during the drought of three years and six months, she had nothing to eat except a bit of flour and a bit of oil, but how did she treat the prophet of God the Father? Today, God the Father also wants people to know how to share with each other what they have, so that God the Father can bestow the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven. Do not stubbornly keep it for oneself without knowing how to care, love, and share with our brothers and sisters who need help. We must be aware of one thing: everything we have is given by God the Father. If He does not give it to us we will have nothing. We must follow God's teachings to share and give because it belongs to God, not to us. Today's Word of God also teaches people to look at the image of the poor widow, and draw a valuable lesson for themselves: to be sincere and honest with God the Father, to live true to themselves. That means people need to offer God all the best things that He has given to people. That is what pleases God. And let man give back to God what He needs, seeking the benefit of his own soul and that of others.
Especially in this new era, God the Father calls everyone to live and obey God the Father's commandments: Whatever He says, do it. He says to dedicate ourselves to God, give Him back what is necessary, then listen and follow. Don't be selfish and keep even a little for ourselves to call it "serving the needs of everyday life," forgetting that God the Father is waiting for our complete dedication of ourselves to Him.
Why does God the Father always call on people to sincerely offer back to God the best things, and for what purpose? The answer is, so that God can love humanity, and give us the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future. That is the wisdom that God wants us today to receive and practice. Do not give God what is in excess. Do not push God out of our lives, and treat Him as equal to humans, without knowing how to respect and worship Him.
We must always remember that God is the Lord of all things, the only One who is above all things. We must fear God because He is the Almighty, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Do not despise Him anymore, do not put God the Father under our feet anymore. Instead, glorify God the Father everywhere and at all times by listening and following His commandments. Do not be like the scribes or the rich. They pushed God out, they gave God what was superfluous, so that from there they could serve themselves above all. All of these things did not please God the Father.
God the Father wants all of us today to be alert to the temptations of Satan. They disguise themselves with sophisticated arguments to tempt us to respect our bodies above all else. Satan instills in our ideology so that we consider our instinctive desires as the most important and do not know how to worship and fear God. So that the lord we worship is in our stomachs, and therefore, we cannot avoid the occasions of sin.
God the Father wants us to be awake to always live pure and innocent, to preserve our bodies and souls, to unite closely with God the Father, to know how to fear and worship Him above all things in this world.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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