RE: 10.31.13~Catholic Matters

SUNDAY READINGS - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 

FIRST READING: Wisdom 11: 22-12: 1. Lord, the whole world before thee is like a speck that tips the scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls upon the ground. But thou art merciful to all, for thou canst do all things, and thou dost overlook men's sins, that they may repent. For thou lovest all things that exist, and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made, for thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it. How would anything have endured if thou hadst not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by thee have been preserved? Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, 0 Lord who lovest the living. For thy immortal spirit is in all things. Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass, and dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, O Lord.

EXPLANATION: The author of Wisdom says that although the whole universe is like a grain of dust compared with God who created it, yet he loves all the things which he has created. It is he who preserves all creation, he who forgives the sins of men, his spirit is in every creature.
world . . . scales: Like a grain of dust that barely tips the scale or does not even tip the scale because it is so small.
a drop of morning dew: A tiny thing scarcely noticeable. So tiny is the whole universe in relation to the God who created it.
merciful . . . do all things: He is interested and benevolent to all his creatures, because he is all-powerful. Men can be merciful but their mercy is limited because their power is limited, but God is infinite.
overlook . . . repent: God does not punish men immediately for their sins. He wants them to repent and so gives them time to do so.
loathing . . . made: God loves all that he has created. There is goodness in all his creatures, he created nothing that was really bad.
How would . . . endure: God not only created all that exists but he sustains all. Whatever exists is due to God's creation and his providence.
O Lord . . . living: God spares, keeps in existence, all creation. It belongs to him and he loves all that exists. "Lover of life" is the translation in the J.B., R.S.V. and N.E.B.
immortal spirit: The breath of life put into created beings is a gift from God. It is, in a way, a part of his own imperishable life. It was out of his infinite power and Being that he was able to create all that is.

APPLICATION: This lesson which we have just heard read from the book of Wisdom, should pull us up sharply and make us think of what we puny men are, and what God is. He tells us the whole universe, which to us is immense, is only like a grain of dust when compared with God. We know that this little planet of ours called "earth," is only like one grain of sand in the Sahara desert compared with the whole universe. Then on this earth, the whole human race is, in size and bulk, only a tiny fraction of this planet. What are we then, in com