Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way.
In our first reading today, we encounter a list of all the different people who were instrumental in forming the Church in that area, which lays out and emphasizes the importance of community in the Church. This is a call to action! As Catholics, it can be easy to take the lone-wolf approach to our faith, not actively looking for support or maybe keeping the faith locked away in our home lives. This is not what the Lord wants of His Church. Rather, he wants us to go out from our ordinary lives and make disciples of all the nations. This is only possible through a strong community, for its presence can be the difference between someone struggling with their faith and falling away and someone rediscovering the love of Christ. We must be there for one another and support each other through prayer and love.
In today’s Gospel, the Lord warns us about the material world and how it can strip a person away from God. This is all too prevalent in today’s world. There are many ways a person can fall into this obsession with the material world, one of which is isolation in faith. Being among a community of believers allows for the members to live out the Gospel in their daily lives; and with the assistance and accountability of others, one’s faith becomes so rich that it will naturally enter into one’s home and public life alike, winning disciples for our Lord.
Reflection by Joseph Allen, seminarian
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections