A Homily – The Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

First Reading – 1 Kings 17:10-16

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145(146):7-10

Second Reading – Hebrews 9:24-28

Gospel Acclamation – Revelation 2:10

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 5:3

The Gospel According to Mark 12:38-44

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 The narrative from the Book of Kings is not a miracle story, it is a metaphor that illustrates the nature of faith, which is to trust in the providence of the divine.

 Share what you have, even when you don’t have enough, even when you are on the brink of ruin and despair…make a feast of what you have and share it with those in need…this is the way.

 Praise God, creator of the universe. Praise God, with words in song. God alone is the author of our salvation, therefore do not trust in princes and kings, in priests and prelates, and princes.

 Know this!

 God is not a king.

 The life of a human being, the life cycle of our planet and that of the sun itself amounts to little more than a flare in the night.; a flash and it is gone…we are born, we breathe and we are gone,

 Remember.

 Happy are those who take up the work of heaven, humbly assisting the divine in works of mercy and the administration of justice:

 Lift up the oppressed,

          Wherever they are

Feed the hungry

Free the prisoner

Teach the ignorant,

          Wherever they are

 Advocate for those who need an advocate, care for those who cannot care for themselves. Find those who are lost in their wickedness, care for them until you bring them home.

 Know this.

 The cult of animal sacrifice is built on a fundamentally flawed understanding of the divine economy, and the relationship between God and humanity.

 God will never ask you to give your life for the way; the world might ask this of you, but God will not. You will not be rewarded with crowns and glories for doing so, the grace that leads to salvation is distributed to everyone, and everyone’s share of the infinite love of God is the same…it is infinite.

 During our sojourn on Earth we navigate countless paradoxes, we come upon them like rapids in the stream, we crash into and are caught in their back current: take joy is the smile of a stranger, the kindness of your beloved, the opening of a flower, the smell of bread in the oven, a drink of cool water, take joy in these things and share them with downtrodden, the disenfranchised and the marginalized…do it, and you will be on the way.

 The Good Pope Francis said he was saddened by the number of priests and prelates who use their offices in the church to enrich themselves; loving money, seemingly more than they love the people who they have been appointed to serve.

 When I think of the priesthood today and the priests strolling around in their long dresses, doing exactly those things that Mark complained about when he criticized the corruption among the scribes; today’s priests are yesterday’s scribes.

 I think of the monies that all the churches spend on their liturgies, their choirs, their incense, their candles; ostensibly to honor the creator, but really I think it is done in the service of vanity, an impiety that seeks to honor only itself, self-congratulatory and prideful of their pageantry.

 The liturgies themselves do little to honor God, or creation, with the creeds and the common prayers serving more to divide one group from another than to bring them together.

 In my church, the Catholic church, even the eucharist (imagined as God’s own self) is used as a weapon against the people by threatening to deprive them of it if they do not toe the line.

 This is contrary to the teaching of Jesus; it dishonors his life and death, to pretend that you can block a person’s access to the divine and obstruct them along the way.

Be mindful.

The real presence of God dwells within all people. The church, if it is to be relevant to more than a few, must empty itself, empty its treasury, and meet God where God is, living in the poor and the sick, alive in the heart of the criminal as well as that of the “good” citizen.

The church must emulate the widow in this Gospel when called to give, it must give all it has.

First Reading – 1 Kings 17:10-16

'Jar of Meal Shall Not be Spent, Jug of Oil Shall Not Be Emptied'

Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:

“Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.”’

The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145(146):7-10

The Blessedness of Those Who Hope in the Lord

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

I will praise my God all my days.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

  I will praise the Lord all my life,

  make music to my God as long as I exist.

Do not trust in princes to save you,

  they are only sons of men.

One day their breath will leave them, they will return to the ground;

  on that day perish all their plans.

Happy the one whose help is the God of Jacob,

  whose hope is in the Lord his God,

who made heaven and earth and all that is in them,

  who keeps faith for ever,

  who gives justice to the oppressed,

  who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord frees prisoners,

  he gives light to the blind,

  he raises the fallen.

The Lord loves the upright, cares for strangers,

  sustains orphans and widows;

  but the wicked he sends astray.

The Lord will reign for all ages,

  your God, O Zion, from generation to generation.

Amen.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

I will praise my God all my days.

 

Second Reading – Hebrews 9:24-28

Christ, Our High Priest, has Done Away with Sin by Sacrificing Himself

It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Revelation 2:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Even if you have to die, says the Lord, keep faithful, and I will give you the crown of life.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Mark 12:38-44

This Poor Widow has Put in More Than All

In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’

  He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

 

A Homily – The Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Observation - November 9th, 2024, Saturday

Led Zepplin on the stereo

Couscous on the stove

The scent of chili…spices

            Steaming in the crock pot

 

 Wind in the leaves

outside my window

Dancing in the maple

Against the cool gray sky

A Homily – The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

First Reading – Deuteronomy 6:2-6

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 17(18):2-4,47,51

Second Reading – Hebrews 7:23-28

Gospel Acclamation – John 6:63, 68

Alternative Acclamation – John 14:23

The Gospel According to Mark 12:28-34

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

God is one, and we are one in God...we are one with God.

Love God with all your heart and all your soul, with all your strength of mind…and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the whole of the law and the sum of wisdom as taught by the prophets.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself, love the stranger among you…love your adversary as well.

The power of love is inexhaustible.

Do for another what you would have done for you, and do not to another what you would not have done to you; these are the golden rules.

Be humble in your comportment, and just toward the least among you, regard them with humility in the hour of their need.

This is the way.

Reflect on the psalm for today; it is a psalm of thanksgiving, it is also a psalm of vanity. The psalmist gives credit to God for saving him, but it was not God who did the work, rescue did not arrive by divine favor.

God did not hear his voice, alone among all of the others, and fly from the temple to save him...he saved himself, or he was saved by his allies; it may even have been just a matter of chance.

God does not favor one child over another, not one family, not one tribe, not one nation, not one sect. God loves all of God’s children equally, no matter the state of their sinfulness, whether they live in open rebellion to the divine plan, or rest in the peace that is found along the way, the peace of loving mercy.

God, the creator of the universe is not like Zeus or Jupiter, Indra or Thor. God does not step onto the battlefield, shoot arrows and hurl lightning at his foes...nor yours.

It is foolish to think so, and false to present Jesus as some kind of high priest to one of these.

Jesus was not a priest, the priestly system and the cult of sacrifice were corrupt, both in concept and in practice.

Our salvation and a right relationship with God do not depend on rituals of atonement, or paying taxes to a temple, and no human being has need of an intermediary to act on their behalf with God.

Every law related to ritual purity is a part of a shakedown, just one long con.

This is not to say that making restitution to a community for harms that a person has brought to it is unwise or that it does not have restorative value; it can and often does, but it is to say that your spiritual well-being and relationship with God are never what is at stake. No priest, at the church or the temple has the power or even a role in mediating that.

Be mindful.

Here is the gospel truth:

God loves you, and you are saved. You are not saved for anything that you have done, you did not earn it, you are saved because God loves you.

The promise of salvation is not that you will be spared from suffering and torment in hell, or that when you are judged God will forgive you.

The good news is that God has already forgiven you; you are already saved.

God has prepared you, and everyone for eternal life. Believe it!

Let the goodness of the promise flow through you now and start living this life as if the promise were true.

Know this.

We are not called to believe in the idea that Jesus is this or that, the Holy One of God, we are called to act on the principles of his faith, to live lives of charity and service to one another other.

Remember.

The grace of God is not transactional; love fosters love.

Love abounds, and God is always with you.

Listen!

God is one, and we are one in God...we are one with God.

Love God with all your heart and all your soul, with all your strength of mind…and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the whole of the law and the sum of wisdom as taught by the prophets.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself, love the stranger among you…love your adversary as well.

The power of love is inexhaustible.

Do for another what you would have done for you, and do not to another what you would not have done to you; these are the golden rules.

This is the way, it is the Golden Rule.

We are all moving along the way…imperfect as we are.

First Reading – Deuteronomy 6:2-6

You Shall Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart

Moses said to the people: ‘If you fear the Lord your God all the days of your life and if you keep all his laws and commandments which I lay on you, you will have a long life, you and your son and your grandson. Listen then, Israel, keep and observe what will make you prosper and give you great increase, as the Lord the God of your fathers has promised you, giving you a land where milk and honey flow.

  ‘Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart.’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 17(18):2-4,47,51

Thanksgiving for Salvation and Victory

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Thanksgiving for salvation and victory

I love you, Lord, my strength.

I will love you, Lord, my strength:

  Lord, you are my foundation and my refuge,

  you set me free.

My God is my help: I will put my hope in him,

  my protector, my sign of salvation,

  the one who raises me up.

I will call on the Lord – praise be to his name –

  and I will be saved from my enemies.

The waves of death flooded round me,

  the torrents of Belial tossed me about,

the cords of the underworld wound round me,

  death’s traps opened before me.

In my distress I called on the Lord,

  I cried out to my God:

from his temple he heard my voice,

  my cry to him came to his ears.

 

The earth moved and shook,

  at the coming of his anger the roots of the mountains rocked

  and were shaken.

Smoke rose from his nostrils,

  consuming fire came from his mouth,

  from it came forth flaming coals.

He bowed down the heavens and descended,

  storm clouds were at his feet.

He rode on the cherubim and flew,

  he travelled on the wings of the wind.

He made dark clouds his covering;

  his dwelling-place, dark waters and clouds of the air.

The cloud-masses were split by his lightnings,

  hail fell, hail and coals of fire.

The Lord thundered from the heavens,

  the Most High let his voice be heard,

  with hail and coals of fire.

He shot his arrows and scattered them,

  hurled thunderbolts and threw them into confusion.

The depths of the oceans were laid bare,

  the foundations of the globe were revealed,

at the sound of your anger, O Lord,

  at the onset of the gale of your wrath.

He reached from on high and took me up,

  he lifted me from the many waters.

He snatched me from my powerful enemies,

  from those who hate me, for they were too strong for me.

They attacked me in my time of trouble,

  but the Lord was my support.

He led me to the open spaces,

  he was my deliverance, for he held me in favour.

The Lord rewards me according to my uprightness,

  he repays me according to the purity of my hands,

for I have kept to the paths of the Lord

  and have not departed wickedly from my God.

For I keep all his decrees in my sight,

  and I will not reject his judgements;

I am stainless before him,

  I have kept myself away from evil.

And so the Lord has rewarded me according to my uprightness,

  according to the purity of my hands in his sight.

You will be holy with the holy,

  kind with the kind,

with the chosen you will be chosen,

  but with the crooked you will show your cunning.

For you will bring salvation to a lowly people

  but make the proud ashamed.

For you light my lamp, O Lord;

  my God brings light to my darkness.

For with you I will attack the enemy’s squadrons;

  with my God I will leap over their wall.

Amen.

You, O Lord, are my lamp, my God who lightens my darkness.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

 

Second Reading – Hebrews 7:23-28

Christ, Because He Remains Forever, Can Never Lose His Priesthood

There used to be a great number of priests under the former covenant, because death put an end to each one of them; but this one, because he remains for ever, can never lose his priesthood. It follows, then, that his power to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.

  To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 6:63, 68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – John 14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him.’

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Mark 12:28-34

'You Are Not Far From the Kingdom of God'

 

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

 

A Homily – The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

A Homily – Feast of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation (Year B)

First Reading – Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 23(24):1-6 ©

Second Reading – 1 John 3;1-3 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:28 ©

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:1 – 12a ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

God, the creator of the universe, God is not a king. The divine is not the lord of dominions, God does not sit on a throne.

Know this.

The multitude John witnessed in his vision is a society without number, there is no upper limit to its measure, it is continually aborning and without end.

The multitude is comprised of every person who has experienced the tribulations of living, every single one of us who has come into being and suffered while they sojourned through time and space.

Every human being who is alive today, has ever been or will ever be, all of us belong to the multitude…all of us children of the living God gathered together in the continuum of being, none of us are lost. This is the good news, and in it lies the way, our good-shepherd has directed us toward this end.

Understand this.

We are not saved by the blood of the lamb, not the literal sense, this is a metaphor. There is no sanctification or justification through ritual sacrifice, but there is in the feast that follows, where we all come to the table to share in the communal gift.

We may experience something of salvation in the here and now, if we let go of our enmities, forgive those who have wronged us, as God has forgiven us, and when we have accepted the forgiveness of those we have wronged. 

Be mindful!

The reading from Genesis is powerful, but do not look for God to come draped in glory, power and honors. Remember the humility of Jesus, look for divine there, as if God’s own self were as gentle as a lamb.

Remember.

All things and persons have their being in God; the divine is the foundation of all that is, without God there is nothing, without God there is not even the possibility of something,  

 If you wish to climb the mountain, and you are going their to find God, that is fine, there is nothing wrong with that, but God is closer than that, you may simply turn to your neighbor and see God reflected in their face. Behold the face of God, and it God’s holy presence give thanks  

 Be mindful.

 Do not worry about your own relative state of holiness, knowing that God loved you before creation, when only the possibility of you existed, believe that you are a holy vessel, worthy of God’s adoration, simply because you are. All things and everyone is loved by God, there is no better measure of holiness.

 There is no vanity in emulating the love that God bears for all God’s children. Look for God’s blessing in the service you provide to your neighbor, to your mother and father, to your sister and brother. Be justified in the quality and extent of your mercy.

 If you go looking for the God of Jacob, instead of seeing God in Jacob you will staring at idols.

 Know this!

 God is not confined to the pages of a book or by the inked letters on a scroll, the divine is not bound by the history and mythology of a people. It is fine to see in those things glimpses of the divine, the records and remembrances of past encounters, but if you seek the living God you must look to living.

 Consider the work of the apostle:

 When you are preaching the faith you are always speaking to the children of God, and there is nothing you yourself can do to affect their salvation, their salvation has already been accomplished in God and through God’s grace.

 Be mindful.

The teachings of Jesus cannot be treated like a shell game, though they are, and have been since the beginning, as Matthew illustrates.

 The way of Jesus is not a long can, it is not a bait and switch, it is a simple teaching that cannot be controlled or owned by any one group of people.

 The wise and the powerful, the learned and the clever, the weak and the meek, everyone has access to the same truth, to the knowledge of God, of justice, of hope, and love.

 Just because a person may be wise and powerful, learned and clever, or a child of the church, does not mean they recognize the truth when they see it, or act upon when they do.

 It is not your station in society, it is not how other people regard you, it is not the titles you have earned, or the ways that you have been marginalized that give us the tell on how you will fulfill the calling to follow Jesus. What matters is what is in your heart, and your willingness to trust in the content of your hope.

 Consider the Gospel reading for the day:

 Much has been written about the sermon on the mount. It is hard for me to believe that I would have anything new to add to that discussion, but adding something new is not as important as sharing the story and how it has shaped my perspective on the Gospel. Adding something new  happens all by itself, and by sharing our perspective we keep the conversation moving…this is the living faith.

 In the reading for today Jesus shares a way of seeing the world, of living in society, of understanding our relationship to the creator; a way that reverses the expectations of what a person might expect from the social compact that were prevalent in his time.

 Jesus might have said that the providence of heaven belongs to all people, regardless of who they are, where they came, or how far they think they are from the love of the creator, no matter what creed they profess or what traditions bind them…no matter how little they may think about God.

 The gentle of heart do seek to possess things, they have nothing to guard they are themselves unguarded and free; by freeing themselves from their desires they have gained everything.

 Have hope, our woes are temporary, all sadness and all mourning come to an end.

 Strive for what is right and just, for what is universal, for what touches all people; give up your concerns for yourself and your tribe. The narrow path leads to loneliness and misery, while the broad road leads to joy, the multitude are walking along it, walk in the company of your friends.

 Mercy follows upon mercy, as the sun follows the rain…be sure of it.

 All people come to the vision of God; this is as certain as that in time they will come to know their true selves, at which moment they will see the fullness of God at the center of their being, dwelling within everyone and uniting us as one.

 Accept the parentage of the divine and the reality of your status as a child of God; take up the task set before you: love justice, be merciful, make peace.

 The providence of heaven belongs to all people, its possession only comes through sharing it without reservation, distributing it to all of those in need.

 If you are abused and persecuted for the sake of peace and mercy. Have no fear, the powers of sin and evil, and the pain they bring, the reality of sickness and death; these are temporary, and will come to an end.

 

First Reading - Apocalypse 7:2-4,9-14

I Saw a Huge Number, Impossible to Count, of People from Every Nation, Race, Tribe and Language

I, John, saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God; he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea, ‘Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees, until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ Then I heard how many were sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.

  After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.’

  One of the elders then spoke, and asked me, ‘Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?’ I answered him, ‘You can tell me, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.’

 

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 23(24):1-6

The Lord Comes to His Temple

The man with clean hands and pure heart will climb the mountain of the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

  the world and all who live in it.

He himself founded it upon the seas

  and set it firm over the waters.

Who will climb the mountain of the Lord?

  Who will stand in his holy place?

The one who is innocent of wrongdoing and pure of heart,

  who has not given himself to vanities or sworn falsely.

He will receive the blessing of the Lord

  and be justified by God his saviour.

This is the way of those who seek him,

  seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

  and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of might and power.

  The Lord, strong in battle.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

  and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of hosts

 – he is the king of glory.

Amen.

The man with clean hands and pure heart will climb the mountain of the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

Second Reading - 1 John 3:1-3

We Shall be Like God Because We Shall See Him as He Really Is

Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.

Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.

My dear people, we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.

Surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:1-12a

How Happy are the Poor in Spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

  they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

  they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

  they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

  they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

  they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

  they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

  theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

 

A Homily – Feast of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation (Year B)