Religious Dimension

Our Gospel Challenge this week is to.....          

 "Show acts of love to others".

Sunday's Gospel

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together to unsettle him. One of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the prophets also.’ (Matthew 22:34–40)

This is the final public encounter between Jesus and his enemies in Matthew’s Gospel. They are seeking to expose his lack of professional knowledge of the Scriptures or to trap him into giving more weight to one of the Ten Commandments which are viewed as equally important. Jesus cuts the ground from under them. No one could argue with his answer! But if the dual command of love was present in the Jewish Law, what new thing did Jesus bring? His originality places love of God and love of neighbour together. It is not possible to love God and despise people. God and the human situation are intimately interwoven. This is shown most perfectly in the person of Jesus himself: Son of Man and Son of God; fully human and fully divine. Followers of Jesus must also embody the dual commandment of love.

St Paul describes what love is like in a beautiful passage in his first letter to the Corinthians. Pray over these verses this week and contemplate their meaning: 

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous. 

Love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence and is not resentful. 

Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins, but delights in the truth. 

It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, to endure whatever comes.

 (1 Corinthians 13:4–6)

Socktober/Mini Missions

This coming Tuesday students are showing love as they take up the church's mission to show love to others and spread Jesus' love and light as global citizens. Money raised will be sent to Catholic Mission Australia, who will distribute the donation to the most poverty stricken countries around the world. As a sign of solidarity and their desire to "sock it to poverty" students are invited to wear loud, bright and/or odd socks to school with their school uniform.

St John's Parish

Please remember that Father Dispin records Mass each week for families to view. It can be found on the Parish Website along with the weekly Parish newsletter.

https://stjohnsmitcham.com.au/

Monica O'Shannassy

moshannassy@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au