THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, NOVEMBER 03, 2024

MASS READINGS

Reading I Dt 6:2-6

Moses spoke to the people, saying:

"Fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life.

Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."

REFLECTION

"Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

If we read the next verses of Deuteronomy, Moses continues with the following:

Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them on your arm as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gate. (Dt 6:7-9)

When we are with our family, do we teach our children the commandments? Do we show them we follow them?

This year at my parish's Catechism class, I've been assigned to teach a fourth grade class. The materials for this grade are the Commandments. And it's been great to review them as I often take them for granted.

On one hand when I talk to the children about the Commandments they look at me like they've never heard of what I am talking, which actually is true. You see, in the US, most children make their first Reconciliation and Communion in second grade. We have found that for this whole class of fourth graders in all the classrooms, only 16 % of them have received the sacraments. So, they've never heard about the Commandments, the Sacraments, etc.

On the other hand, I am really grateful that the parents are sending their children to Catechism to learn about Jesus and receive the Sacraments. It's been refreshing to teach about the Commandments through fresh eyes. Trying to apply the principles of critical thinking, and have them, and myself apply them to everyday life.

To apply this to my own family, when preparing for the class, I try to involve my own children for feedback on the lessons. Another way is to go to early Sunday Mass, go to breakfast after, and discuss the readings/homily over coffee and goodies.

The conversation can go anywhere from: "I fell asleep half the Mass" to "Father/Deacon was all over the place, don't know what the point was" to "Oh wow, that made sense" "Or I am not sure I understood what Father/Deacon meant".

During that hour, hour and a half, we have the time to see how we can apply Sunday's readings/homilies in a practical way. We also catch up with other aspects of life of course. We need to set this time apart since modern life is completely hectic. I know I only have my children under my roof a handful of years. After that, they will have to decide on their own if they will follow God and love Him above all things. In the meantime, they are like little seedlings that need feeding so they can grow to be strong trees that will sustain the elements.

What are the ways you engage your children to teach them the Commandments, to talk to them about God?

God bless y'all!