Sunday between 30 October and 5 November
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fourth Sunday before Advent
All Saints Sunday (Year B)
First Reading - Deuteronomy 6.1-9
A reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
Hear O Israel,
the commandments, laws, and decrees,
that the Lord your God
has commanded me
to teach to you.
You are to keep
these commandments, laws, and decrees,
in the land
that you are now to enter,
so that you,
and your children,
and your children’s children,
may honour the Lord your God,
all the days of your life,
and your days may be long,
and you may prosper,
and multiply greatly
in this land:
this land,
flowing
with milk and honey,
as promised to you
by the Lord,
the God of your ancestors.
So hear this commandment, O Israel:
the Lord your God is one Lord;
and you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take these words,
that I am commanding you today,
and keep them in your heart.
Teach them to your children.
Recite them at home,
and when you travel.
Recite them
at the end of the day,
and in the morning.
Mark them
on your hand,
and
on your forehead;
on your doorposts,
and on your gates.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Hebrews 9.11-14
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Christ is the high priest
of the new and eternal covenant.
He has entered
the most holy sanctuary,
greater by far
than any
made
by human hands.
And he has entered,
not with the blood of sacrificed animals,
but with his own blood,
offering himself to God,
perfect and without sin,
securing for us
everlasting
forgiveness
and salvation.
Where once
the blood of a sacrificed animal
was used
for purification,
so much more, now, the blood of Christ
purifies our hearts
from all that leads
to sin and death,
that we may truly serve and worship
the living God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Mark 12.28-34a
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Mark.
One of the scribes
approached Jesus,
and asked, ‘Which is the greatest,
of all the commandments?’
Jesus said, ‘The greatest commandment
is this: “Hear, O Israel,
the Lord your God is one Lord;
and you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.”
And the second commandment
is this: “You shall love your neighbour
as yourself.”
There is no commandment
greater than these.’
The scribe said to Jesus, ‘Well spoken, teacher;
for indeed, God is one, and there is no other;
and to love God
with all your heart, understanding, and strength -
and to love your neighbour as yourself -
these two commandments
are more important
than any burnt-offerings or sacrifices.’
Recognising the wisdom in this answer,
Jesus said to the scribe, ‘You are not far
from the kingdom of God.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.