Saturday, October 30, 2021

31st Sunday OT @ Ss. Francis and Clare

HOMILY 31st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 30/31, 2021


Barbara Woodhouse was born in 1910 in County Dublin, Ireland. She is best known for her 1980s British television show, and her series of books on Dog Training. Her motto was “no bad dogs,” and her particular style of Obedience Training continues to be taught in Britain and the US to this day. 

Obedience training for dogs has its roots in pre-history. Over 100 years before the time of Christ, a Roman farmer recorded advice for training dogs to herd livestock.

In the 19th century, a British Army Officer published a book titled: “Dog Breaking: The Most Expeditious, Certain and Easy Method, Whether Great Excellence or Only Mediocrity Be Required, With Odds and Ends for Those Who Love the Dog and the Gun,” intended to train hunting dogs.


And in 1911, a German military officer published his book, titled: “Training Dogs: A Manual,” still used today to train police and military dogs.

Woodhouse died in 1988 at the age of 78; but her method lives on. Her American protege, Brian Kilcommons, is an expert trainer and counts among his clients Diana Ross, Morley Safer, and Diane Sawyer. 



Today is the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Our Old Testament and Gospel readings both focus in on a single prayer, known to Jews as the Sh’ma.

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.

Looking at the original languages for the two readings it would appear that something has gotten lost in the translation from Hebrew to Greek to English.

The English word, hear, is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “to be aware of sounds with your ears.” And, interestingly, this comports pretty much with the Greek word used in the Gospel for ‘hear’ which is “akoue” and is where we get the English word “acoustic.”

Both the Greek and the English words imply what appears to be a passive event – mere sounds flowing into our ears.

But the Hebrew word “sh’ma” means more than just ‘hear.’ It also means to ‘listen, consent, understand, and obey.’ To hear God is to conform your will to God’s and to act on God’s word and to obey God’s word.

Hearing implies obedience, and obedience implies action.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, we hear at the end of the reading the phrase “the word of the oath” which points back to a covenant. And the covenant for us is found in our encounter with Christ in the Sacraments of the Church … and in the superabundant sacramental grace provided by the Sacraments in order for us to live out our lives in the world by leveraging the Supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, may His “once for all” offering on the Cross “always … save [us] who approach God through [H]im,” with Him, and in Him. May the graces we receive this day in the Sacrament of the Altar help us to hear, listen, obey, and act upon the Word of God in our daily lives by what we say and do out and about in the world.