Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A, October 29, 2023 Before the first reading: In few, if any, ancient societies, did aliens have rights. In few ancient religions did gods care for widows and orphans. The way of life of God’s people was to be different. After the psalm, before the second reading: Saint Paul greets a community who had received the gospel eagerly and set a good example for other churches. They were all expecting God to bring the world to an end very soon. Before the gospel acclamation: The scriptures of the Jews contained over 600 laws, of varying detail. It was customary to argue over how to summarize them, and how to weigh their relative importance. Here they are the subject of a contest between Jesus and one of the groups that would later persecute Matthew’s community. So when Moses spoke these words the first time, he really got people’s attention. When you proclaim them again, speak as if you expect the same, because you appreciate the stature of the Law you are announcing. You might do this if you want to emphasize the revolutionary character of the Law, as described above: Emphasize the word you every time it occurs. Think of how you would address a child who wants to do something foolish because “all the other kids are doing it.” “And if they all jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?” When God spoke the Law, Israel should have heard implied “I expect more of you than, sadly, I can yet expect of other peoples.” (There would come a time, of course, when God’s favor, and high expectations, would be shown to extend to all peoples, but we’re not there yet. We’re only in the Sinai a few weeks out of slavery.)

30th Sunday of Year A