Paul's Reflections 352 : Pentecost Sunday. 27th May 2012

PASTORAL LETTER

from The Most Reverend Mark Coleridge

ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE

to the Clergy and People of the Archdiocese

To be read at all Masses in the Archdiocese on

Pentecost Sunday

27th May 2012

 

TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE

 

For the first time I speak to you as Archbishop, and I do so at Pentecost as we celebrate the birth of the Church when the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, was breathed into a corpse and brought to life the Body of Christ, the Church. The events of Easter, which come to their climax at Pentecost, overturn all human imaginings of God. They show the real God to be far stranger and more wonderful than we had ever thought. So at the end of the fifty days of the Easter festival, I want to speak to you of where the Christian life begins. I want to speak to you of grace.

 

People at times imagine the Christian life as something like this: there’s a great high mountain, and we are at the foot of the mountain. Enthroned on the summit, shrouded in mists of majesty, there is God; and our task is to get from the foot of the mountain to the summit where, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine” (25:6). We are made for the feast, so we have to get to the summit somehow. So off we go, struggling up the slopes, leaping crevices, falling and rising in an effort that costs us almost everything. But eventually we arrive at the summit, bruised and battered and bloodied and broken. We fall exhausted at the feet of God. He takes one look at us and says, “Not good enough!” And with the flick of a finger, God sends us tumbling back to the foot of the mountain in a cosmic game of “Snakes and Ladders”. There we lie – having to begin all over again to do something we know we can never do. We will never be able to present ourselves to God in a way that makes us acceptable – and we know it.

 

On this account, the Christian life is a doomed response to a malicious God who asks us to do what we can never do. It’s an exercise in total frustration – trying to make ourselves acceptable, trying to prove ourselves to God, trying to earn the divine love. It’s as if God wants only the good part of us, the part that is nice and presentable. But we know that there are other parts that aren’t nice and presentable. These we have to hide, certainly from other people but most especially from God.

Is that the truth of the Christian life? No. That version of the Christian life, however widespread, is a master-stroke of evil. It’s what the Church has traditionally called heresy, and its chief proponent was a Welsh monk called Pelagius who said that we have to earn our salvation and that we can. Wrong. The fact is that we can’t: that’s the bad news. But the good news is that we don’t have to.

 

So what is the truth of the Christian life as Easter reveals it? There is a high mountain, God is on the summit preparing the feast, and we do have to get to the top to enjoy the feast for which we were created. But the truth turns things on their head. We don’t have to climb the mountain, because God is the one who comes down to us in Jesus. We’re not the ones bruised and battered and bloodied and broken. God is – as we see whenever look at Jesus on the Cross. He is God coming down to get us, to carry us to the summit where he wants to sit us down at the feast and wait on us.

 

But the plot thickens. When God comes down to us in Jesus, we prefer to run away – saying as we do, “No thanks, I can do it by myself”. We would rather die in our own way than live in God’s way. We would rather starve at the foot of the mountain than allow God to carry us to the feast on the summit. That’s the underlying attitude that becomes sin in our life. But God is not so easily put off, because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, comes looking for the run-away sheep. When he finds them, he puts them on his shoulders and carries them up the mountain where they can enjoy the restful waters and the fresh green pastures of the feast. And all of this is done out of the free and extravagant love than we call “grace”, which is the very heart of the Christian life.

 

This Pentecost Sunday we begin what we’re calling the Year of Grace. This will be like a time of retreat for the whole Church in Australia – a time to refocus on what really matters, a time to rediscover the heart of the Christian life. We can’t earn the almost incredible love of God; but we don’t have to. It’s given to the unworthy as a free gift. All they have to do is accept it. But that can be harder than it sounds, given our tendency to insist that we can do it all ourselves.

 

The parable of the Prodigal Son says it all (Luke 15:11-32). At first glance, the two brothers seem like chalk and cheese. But in fact they are pathetically alike. The younger boy runs off with the money, looking for the freedom which he’s right to seek. But he looks for the right thing in the wrong place, and he ends up in a pig-sty. In looking for freedom where it can’t be found, he ends up a slave. Then he decides to go back to his father, preparing his speech carefully, saying that he’s unworthy to be called “son” and that he should be treated as a “slave” who will now earn his father’s love. He practices his speech all the way home till he’s got it word-perfect. When his father rushes to meet him, the boy begins his prepared speech, but crucially he never finishes it. As soon as he says that he’s no longer worthy to be called son, his father cuts him short and says, “Give him everything that belongs to a son, however badly he’s behaved”. The father says effectively, “Stop! You don’t have to earn my love. You are son because you are son because you are son. You simply have to accept my love and live accordingly”.

 

The older son has always been the good boy. Coming in from work in the field, he hears the sound of the feast. When told that his brother has come back, he’s angry. So the father comes out a second time to one of his sons. The older boy says that he’s slaved all these years, that he’s really earned his father’s love. And now this happens! The fatted calf is killed for the unworthy son, not for the worthy son. This is where the two boys are pathetically alike. They are both locked in the pig-sty of “worthiness”, trying to prove that they are worthy of their father’s love. Both have to leave the pig-sty behind and enter a whole new world of grace – the unconditional love given freely to those who are not worthy and never can be.

 

The test for the younger son will be whether he abuses the new freedom given him to do the same all over again: has there been any real change of heart or will he simply look for his next opportunity? The test for the older son will be whether he comes into the party: will he stay outside locked in a world of resentment or come to the feast? We don’t know how the story ends for either of them. But their story is yours and mine; and we have to finish it in our own way. The Year of Grace is a time for a change of heart, a time to leave behind the pig-sty of “worthiness” and to come to the feast as daughters and sons of the Father. It’s a time to start afresh from Christ.

To help us do that, many things are planned in the Archdiocese, and I urge you to enter joyfully and generously into all that is planned. We need to become a more missionary Church, and the energy for that can come only from a deeper encounter with Jesus crucified and risen, whose face we will contemplate anew through the Year of Grace. This is no time to circle the wagons in some supposedly self-protective manoeuvre or to indulge in a kind of pastoral planning that is really palliative care. No: this is a time to roll the wagons out into new territory in ways we’ve never done before. That will take imagination, courage and, above all, faith. It will mean letting go of old baggage as we set out, like Abraham, on a new journey. That’s what the Year of Grace is all about.

 

+Mark Coleridge

27th May 2012

 

Paul's Reflections 351 : 20th May, 2012 ASCENSION OF THE LORD. YEAR B

Homily ASCENSION OF THE LORD. YEAR B  20th May, 2012     

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·         This weekend, the Archdiocese is holding a special appeal to ensure that priests live with dignity in their senior years. 

·         This is the annual appeal held in all parishes to support The Priests Foundation, known formerly as the Clergy Foundation.

·         A priest’s vocation isn’t a job. It is a calling and a ministry, for life.

·         Most priests never fully retire.

·         Many are still bringing Christ to others, serving parishes throughout the Archdiocese, offering assistance as chaplains, counsellors and celebrants.  It will often be a retired priest that will celebrate Mass when the parish priest is sick or on vacation.

·         Yet when a priest retires he is no longer supported by his Parish.

·         Last year the cost to the Priests Foundation to provide support to our priests was nearly one million dollars. The appeal last year raised $470,000 – or half of what is needed to meet these costs.

·         What does your gift actually do?

·         It provides our senior retired priests with basic living assistance, convalescence care, accommodation support, health, and transport assistance.

·         The Foundation currently cares for 50 retired priests, and that number will increase over the next five years.  I think of Fr Pat Dowd, who regularly travels many hundreds of kilometers to fill in around this country area. He is tireless, even in retirement, and very few priests are willing or able to fill in for us in these country areas. 

·         We all need to help care for our retired priests.  Please give generously today by using the envelopes in the pews.  Or take one home and send your gift in the postage paid envelope.

·         It will indeed make a better life for our retired priests in their senior years.

Blessings from Archbishop Mark Coleridge

This year is an important year for the Archdiocese of Brisbane. Our new Archbishop, Mark Coleridge was installed last week (11 May).  Already, he has sent his words of encouragement and thanks to all of you who help our senior priests through your generous gifts to the Priests Foundation.

In his own words, Archbishop Coleridge expresses his gratitude saying,  “The story of the Archdiocese of Brisbane has been a story of blessing.  Prime among the blessings are the many people whose lives are full of faith, hope and love.  Here I think of the priests – and especially of our retired and infirm priests who have served the Church so selflessly and now have laid down the burden of responsibility.  I thank them most sincerely for all that they have given and continue to give.  They may not serve as once they did, but their priestly service continues in mysterious and wonderful ways.  I commend the Priests Foundation to your generosity, asking that you help us to help those who for so long have been good and faithful servants.”.

Donations of $2 and above are tax deductible..  Please fill out an envelope or perhaps take an envelope home and drop it into the collection next weekend.. 

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The feast of the Ascension…..

-      Jesus goes back up to heaven to be with the Heavenly Father..  so that we can experience God everywhere through the Holy Spirit…     Jesus going back to the Father means that he will be with us, In the Spirit, always…  

-      Jesus going body and soul to heaven reminds us  that God promises us that we will one day be body and soul in heaven… 

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Also, as I mentioned earlier in mass, this weekend we have with us the children who are preparing for first Holy Communion and Confirmation, which is a completion of their initiation that was begun in their Baptism.

Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit who gives life and effectiveness to everything we do…..    and this Spirit gives us special gifts to help us to achieve what God is wanting to build in our lives and our world.

 If we are to be good disciples and friends of Jesus, we need special gifts from God to be able to do what God asks of us, and sometimes being a follower of Jesus is not easy, and needs courage and strength and understanding and wisdom….   

In our sacraments, there is a special sign of the giving and descending of the Spirit upon us and that is the sign of the 'laying of hands.'  where the priest or bishop holds his hands over the person or object to be blessed and prays that the Spirit may come down upon them to give them the effectiveness to do what they need to do, the become what they are called to be….   

Each sacrament of the church has this sign of the 'laying of hands, and the calling down of the spirit, and I do invite the young people to watch for when these signs occur in our prayers….    in confirmation, Bishop Finnigan will place his hands on your head… and pray that the Holy Spirit be poured down upon you, and give you special gifts… spiritual building blocks to help you live as good disciples of Jesus….   

Traditionally, the church sees that there are seven gifts of the holy spirit, and the young ones preparing for confirmation and first holy communion are learning about them:

the spirit gives the gift of : 

wisdom - the gift of being able to see things the way God sees them. To accept my life from God and be able to learn and grow through all that happens to me.

 understanding  - the gift of being able to capture the meaning of God's message. To listen, to think things through and to be able to put myself in others' shoes

 right judgement - the ability to see what to do in a given situation. to be able to choose and act for what is right and good and true.

 courage - the ability to be able to keep doing something we know to be right and good even when it is difficult. to accept difficulties and challenges in my life cheerfully and firmly and strongly.

 knowledge - the gift of knowing that God is the Father and that Jesus is his son,  and knowing about what God teaches us. to willingly learn about and develop my relationship with God and other people.

reverence - a deep respect, gentleness and care shown towards God, God's creation and people.. To have respect and care for myself, all people and all things of our world.

 wonder and awe in God's presence. Gift of being able to appreciate and enjoy and be aware of all the amazing beauty that is in our world and the ability to see that God is at work still in our world.. to be deeply impressed and in amazement about all the wonders God has done for me, and for others and for the world and for the things that happen in life, big and small.

May we all be open to the gifts of the Holy spirit, and say 'yes' to God building us up into living stones in God's house of kindness, practical action and love…

****(bless candles of Young people who are preparing for their Confirmation, First Holy Communion). ****

Blessing of candles:

 

I call forward the young people who are preparing to receive their confirmation and First Holy communion…

 

Please come forward to HAVE YOUR BAPTISMAL  candle BLESSED….

 

Let us pray….My friends…   this candle was given to you as a reminder of your Baptism…..   when you were Baptised, your parents were handed a special candle.. your baptismal candle, and the priest said as he gave them the candle to hold…“Receive the light of Christ………….. this light is entrusted to you …//.. It is the light of faith that your child has received.. keep that flame alive in their hearts… always growing stronger “

 

This candle reminds us that, (in your Baptism), you became a child of God… and you are now like a “light of Christ” in the world…..   . Now you are now preparing for confirmation.. where we seal and affirm that light you received in Baptism… and also, you are preparing for first Holy communion, where the “light of Christ” in you will be nourished and strengthened by Jesus who comes to us in the “bread broken” and the chalice poured out for us…

 

Loving God,  we humbly ask you to bless these young people and help them be a “light of Jesus' love” to all they meet….

 

We ask this in the name of the + Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit amen. My friends…   let's congratulate these “lights of Christ” amongst us…

 

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·         FR. PAUL W. KELLY;

·         & Archdiocesan Fundraising notes;

·         Description of the seven gifts of the Spirit, adapted from a couple of different sources).

 

Paul's Reflections 350 : 13th May, 2012. Homily 6th Sunday of Easter, YEAR B 13th May, 2012

Homily 6th Sunday of Easter, YEAR B  13th May, 2012     

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I heard a scripture reflection during the week that I really didn’t agree with …    it went like this   “we Christians are ‘in Christ’ (I agree with that),  we are connected to Christ…   but then the speaker went on to say, because we are in Christ, Christ cannot be disappointed in us because he has already forgiven our sins and already saved us…   so we are in christ and we can’t be ‘out’ of Christ..  I think that is going too far.. and ignores scriptures like today’s Gospel…  where it is clear..  you will remain IN Christ when you do as he teaches..   when you do what he commands..  you will bear fruit only so long as your actions stay connected to the vine (as we heard last week)…  and there is most certainly a moral imperitivie.. we may be permantly connected to Christ. As closely connected to Christ as a hand is to the body…   but..  don’t forget that Jesus taught some jarring and stirring messages to shake people out of injustice and complacency too./.    it would be better to cut off one’s hand than to have the whole body thrown into the furnace…   this is probably also referring to Matthew’s community which would be prepared to cut off (excommunicate)  one of its members than for them to mislead and distort the message of Christ.  

Some other thoughts on the readings this weekend:

I have only just come back from a weeklong conference, so I am relying on inspiring reflections from spiritual writers:

Jesus said to his disciples...

"No one has greater love than this,

to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

Love is one commandment with many faces, many opportunities to put it into practice. If there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend, then we can begin by reflecting on what way and in what aspect of our lives must we "lay down" for the sake of another?

So we ask ourselves:

What prejudice, angry feelings and grudges must I lay down out of love for my sisters and brothers? How willing am I to "lay down" my free time when another has need?(A) In what ways am I called to ‘die to self-interest’  in my dealings with others.

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For so many of us today, love is a completely misunderstood reality.  It is most often confused with a longing for another person, a longing to possess (in some way), that person for myself.  Although that desire and longing could be a part of the feeling of love, but it is not love itself.

Love is choosing what is good for the other person and then doing what is good for the other person, even if that means entirely putting the other person out of my life.  We have all kinds of examples of heroic love in the person of so many fire fighters who give their lives for the good of others.  We have that same heroic love with those who are willing to give their lives for their country.  Most of us understand those large examples of self-giving love.

Christ invites us to love as He loves.  He gives His life even for those who reject Him and kill Him.  He gives His life for all of us sinners.  He invites us to love in that same way.  It is clear in these examples that falling in love, feeling a longing and a desire for another person, are simply not the fundamental aspects of this deepest love, even though they can lead us to understand this great love and can help us give ourselves to such a love.

We see this great love at work in the first reading today.  In this section of the Acts of the Apostles we see the struggle of the early Church, which was Jewish, to accept non-Jews, the Gentiles.  In order to understand this situation, we have to recognize that the Gentiles wanted to become Christians.  They wanted to change their lives.  Today there is an enormous movement to try to make people feel good without asking anything of them.  This is not a Christian movement.  Yes, we must love all other peoples, not matter what they believe—but we can’t pretend that they are Christians unless they accept the Christian faith, as did these early Gentiles.

The Christian faith included believing in the Lord Jesus and walking the way that He taught us.  Jesus comes to love us and to teach us the way of salvation.  The way of salvation includes beliefs and practices.  In our Christian history, there are at times conflicts over the beliefs and the practices.  We Catholics, if we are Catholic, accept that there is a teaching authority in the Church.

Today we find all kinds of people and movements who claim to be Catholic but who do not accept the teaching authority of the Church.  The early Christians would not have accepted them as followers of the way.  Today, because of so many challenges to Christian and Catholic faith, there is a counter movement to clarify what it means to be Christian and Catholic.

There are extremes on the right and on the left.  For those of us who are not so fiercely extremist, there is the simple way of accepting the Church as She is, the body of Christ;

We come back to the central theme of today:  Love one another as I have loved you.  Remain in My love.  It is I who have chosen you.

(Your brother in the Lord,

Abbot Philip, OSB)

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I call forward the young people who are preparing to receive their confirmation and First holy communion…

Let us pray….

Loving father…

You call us to follow your beloved Son Jesus in showing love and care for everyone in this world.

You give us the sacrament of the Eucharist as we believe that we receive Jesus who gives himself to us as food to strengthen us to live good lives… 

You sent us the Holy Spirit at our Baptism and in the sacrament of confirmation you seal this gift and stir up the gifts of the Spirit to help us live as Jesus taught.. to love God, love our neighbour and love our self too… 

Gracious God, look upon these young people and their families. They have begun their preparation to receive their Confirmation and First Holy Communion. By doing this are preparing to complete their initiation into the church and become full members of the church community. Send down upon them your fullest blessing and bring to perfection the wonderful work you have already begun in them. We make this prayer in the name of the + Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

My friends.. I present to you our candidates for confirmation and first communion.

(lets put our hands together to congratulate them…)

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REFERENCES:

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·         (A) (http://www.preacherexchange.com/latest.htm, FIRST IMPRESSIONS)

·         Abbot’s homily:  Christ in desert.

Paul's Reflections 349 : 29th April, 2012. 4th Sunday of Easter, YEAR B

Homily 4th Sunday of Easter, YEAR B  29th April, 2012     

 

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This weekend, with the gospel reading about the Good shepherd, it is also Prayer for Vocations weekend…. It is interesting, looking at Pope Benedict’s letter on the occasions of Vocations week and various resources put out on the occasion… there is a common factor…….    The key to vocations    and discipleship is  love….  And particularly God’s unique brand of love

 

God’s love is at the centre of all discipleship…    and all vocations…  and essentially in the vocation to priesthood and religious life….   

 

This central theme of God’s love was emphasised by our newly appointed Archbishop, Mark Coleridge. He asked to meet with and pray with the priest of his archdiocese now that he has arrived and taken up residence in Brisbane prior to his formal installation and reception on May 11^th.   It was wonderful that the first thing he wanted to do after arriving was meet and pray with his priests, who are his assistants in his mission of pastoral care of this place.  He was very impressive. He is a wonderful and captivating speaker, intelligent, gentle but forthright. He knows what it means to be a leader and isn’t afraid to lead, but he is also humble and a listener and a man of great intelligence.   I think we have been very blessed.  He quoted the late Pope John Paul II (for whom he himself was a speech writer in his role in Rome for many years),  and hoe Pope John Paul described Christianity not so much as a ‘religion’  but rather an “encounter” with God in Jesus”.   He says that this powerful image has stayed with him and deepened over his years.   He says that our discipleship is about  Encounter with Jesus and the wonder that it brings, then communion with Jesus and then Jesus sends us out with a task – a mission…  so, in similar echoes to our archdiocesan motto  - “Jesus Communion and Mission,”  he says it as ENCOUNTER< COMMUNION< MISSION !   same, but deeper.  He says that he has always felt that the Brisbane church was a vibrant and missionary church and says that the Church needs to become more and more missionary in its outlook. This is no time to circle the wagons, but to go out in mission to live and proclaim the message of Jesus. 

Archbishop-elect Coleridge,  was very impressive in his talk.

 

He also said that he sees his prime responsibilities as    promoting:

-      The mission of the Church

-      Unity and communion with the universal church. He empashised that we are the church IN the archdiocese of Brisbane and not the church OF Brisbane.  

-      Vocations

-      Liturgy.

He also said that “fear” is the great enemy and that Jesus came to give us his peace so that we overcome Fear and boldly live and proclaim his message without fear or favour. 

 

He also reminded all of us that God calls us to go out of our comfort zone and to go on a journey. He noted the difference between  JOURNEY and mere “wandering”  - wandering is aimless and confused and time-wasting, whereas, a journey has a goal and a plan and a direction.   We will hear much more of this impressive man in the time to come…  I was impressed and energised

 

As disciples of Jesus….  We are not trying to merely imitate God’s actions, which is commendable,… nor are we merely trying to do what God, in Jesus, did, (as far as any human being could try to imitate Jesus – who is God made flesh---    but rather…  we are ultimately striving to become more connected to WHY Jesus acted as he did .. the reason and cause of all his actions and words…  which (at its core and centre)  is God’s unfathomable love… ….to become instruments of God’s love, ………………servants of God’s love…  and the become the love of God inside and out…

 

One of the reflections on vocations..  makes a wonderful illustration about the depths of God’s love, care and faithfulness to each one of us,,,,,    the writer mentions the famous songwriter Irving Berlin, who is well known for writing hit songs like "Easter Parade," and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." Berlin was once asked, "Is there any question you've never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?" "Well, yes, there is one," Berlin replied. He posed the question himself: "What do you think of the many songs you've written that didn't become hits?" Then he answered his own question: "My reply would be that I still think they are wonderful." Then he added, "God, too, has an unshakable delight in what--and whom--He has made. He thinks each of His children is wonderful, and whether they're a ‘hit’ in the eyes of others or not, He will always think they're wonderful." Irving Berlin hit it right on the head. Here is the critical truth about faith--it is grounded in God's wondrous LOVE for us. We may not feel worthy to be loved, we may even push that love away at times…--but we cannot keep God from loving US. That is God's very nature. God is a shepherd – (a very, very good one – the best, in fact). God is love. Today on Good Shepherd Sunday we remember the truth that God always searches for the one who is lost, or who feels unworthy or unloved and carries them in His arms. Anyone who would follow Jesus (the good shepherd)  as a disciple or especially in the vocation as a priest or religious…..  must be prepared to have a love for God’s precious ones – after the example of the good shepherd himself. 

 

As the readings tell us this weekend “We are (all) God’s children.  We are God’s flock.  Jesus Himself promises us that we are no longer slaves but children of God. 

 

(And since God has given us freedom, he then invites us to give our freedom totally in service and love for others…, as Jesus himself did with his freedom).  It is ironic but beautiful.

 

Jesus tells us that He will lay His life down for us.  He has already died for us, but every day He is will to lay down His life for us once more.  Salvation is not something in the past, salvation is today.

 

Today’s readings begin with one from the Acts of the Apostles.  Peter is trying to explain how a crippled man was cured and why.  What is really important is not so much the cure of the crippled man but the love of Jesus for His people.  Even today we do not always understand this.  Jesus will do anything and everything for us if we have faith in Him.  He heals us every day from so many things. (true, sometimes we ask for help or healing in certain  specific ways, and we don’t always get it. But God always answers our prayers in some way or another..  and even if God does not take all burdens from our shoulders, we can know that at least God is love and God is faithful and God does not will any bad thing for us or for others…. God only wants  to cherish us always). 

 

The second reading, from the First Letter of Saint John, is a wonderful prophecy of what heaven will be like:  we shall be like Him and we shall see Him as He is.  So much of our life here is spent trying to be like Him, trying to live as He lived, trying to love and He loved.  In heaven, we shall be like Him, and we will LOVE like him. That is the goal of all discsipleship and vocation …   to love like God. If we LOVE as God does.. then all other things flow from it.

 

The Gospel today reflects that this is Good Shepherd Sunday.  We have readings that explain to us what a Good Shepherd is like.  This is an image trying to explain to us the care and the love that God has for us in Christ Jesus.  Truly there is no way in this life fully to comprehend the love that God has for us.

 

We should be able to speak every day of God’s love and care for us.  If we can quieten our hearts and our minds, we will more easily see this love and care of God at work every day in our lives.  It may not always be the love that we want from God, but it is truly love always wished good for us. 

 

Let us rejoice and be glad today.  Let us be still and listen and look for the signs of God’s love in our lives.  Let us be aware of how much healing God has already done in our lives” (A)

 

And may God keep transforming us into instruments of his love and grace…  that we might show God’s love and care to others we meet…  and slowly but surely be transformed from hired workers into shepherds after the Lord’s own heart…  (with love at its very centre)….

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

• I was very impressed by the following resources and have relied heavily on them for this homily this weekend, (quoting them extensively).
• (A) MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT’S HOMILY. Abbot Philip, OSB
• Vocations day resources.  
• FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections 348 : 22nd April, 2012. 3rd Sunday of Easter - B

Homily 3rd Sunday of Easter - B   22nd  April, 2012     

 

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In the gospel this weekend, the absolute truth of PHYSICAL resurrection of is again reinforced.

 

Jesus even shares a meal with them and makes a point of eating what sounds like a delightful piece of grilled fish to show his disciples he is flesh and blood. 

 

It is quite a claim to suggest that Jesus was risen again. The Disciples initially couldn’t believe what they were hearing when reports started coming in  that Jesus was risen again.  If it were merely a made up story, it would be easy to suggest that he was merely Spiritually risen, and experienced  a kind of ethereal and spiritual way, but that is not what is being said and not what has ever been claimed.  Jesus is RISEN, and he is truly risen!  His disciples saw him, touched him, at with him and spoke with him on several occasions.

 

The true genius of the Christian faith is our belief in the Resurrection and what it says about the relationship and connection between the BODY and the SOUL. For Christians, the body is not just some annoying outer shell that encases the pure spirit of a person and which would be better off being cast off so that the person can achieve perfection.  

The Greek philosophy (which was very popular and influential in the time of Jesus, and has been very influential throughout history, tends to see a bit of a divide and a distinction between body and spirit. The Greek philosophy, I think, tends to see Spirit as pure and divine and good, and the body (and that is physical) is corruptible and sinful and bad.

 

Even in the Jewish faith, the spirit or the soul was considered (by many) to indeed live on after death,  but only some believed in resurrection of the body. The Jewish understanding tended to see the flesh as earthly and the soul as heavenly. 

 

The Christian belief in the incarnation of Christ (God becoming flesh.. and dwelling among us)  and that Jesus is truly God and truly human, shows a profound  understanding of the human person which believes in the holiness and the dignity of the body and the material world.  We have been saved by Jesus – (God made flesh) - who took on our nature and never cast off that human nature nor did he ever cast off the human body when he returned to the Father in Heaven --  This belief informs our teachings on justice and the dignity of the human person and of the sanctity of the human body and why suffering is not something to take lightly.

 

Jesus Resurrection takes this a step further. The destiny of the human person is that they will one day live with God in Heaven (body and soul). The body is sacred and will be raised up and is not to be cast off in order to attain perfection. God will perfect us physically and spiritually.  The earthly, the physical and the material DO matter in Christian spirituality, and cannot be ignored or put out of the picture.

 

The disciples, in today’s gospel, are shown to be in fear and doubt when suddenly Jesus appears to them and reassures them, giving them literally a solid and tangible foundation for their belief (his physical resurrection),  the truth of which will keep them going in good times and in bad,,.,, in peacetime and in persecution,…..  

 

Jesus opened the minds and hearts of the disciples….   Otherwise they would have gone on sitting and hiding in the upper room, and they would still not have understood and they would still have not gotten out and preached the Gospel, irrespective of whether they saw him eat some fish…   - It was essential that the disciples (and each one of us) are “OPEN” to Jesus’ message.

 

Our discipleship and following of Christ (if it is to remain authentic) must always have a deeply practical element of action and right-behaviour to it.  Our faith must show itself in practical implications for our physical world and the physical body.  One of the readings today pointedly reminds us “anyone who says ‘I know him” (I know God)’…  but doesn’t keep God’s commandments is a liar.” …  Anyone who says ‘I know Jesus’…  but does not live according to Jesus’ actions, teachings, values.. and behaviours… /….anyone who does not show real respect for the world and the human person, does NOT have the TRUTH in them.

 

The other important point from today’s readings is that the Resurrection of Christ and his sacrifice on the cross,  tells us a lot about sin and its forgiveness….. ///…  Also, as I wrote in the newsletter: We sin. That is what humans do. But that is never where we leave things. We cannot ever make a concession to weakness and wallow in the lowest common denominator of our frailty. We can often do the wrong thing and sometimes it is knowingly, sometimes it is out of ignorance, and sometimes it is out of negligent failure to know what we ought. We humans are flawed, but nevertheless, infinitely loved by God who created us.

 

God knows what we are like and loves us unconditionally as a parent loves their child. And, just like a parent’s love for a child, a parent does not condone or encourage bad behaviour or ‘wilful refusal to change one’s ways’ because of the lame excuse that “we are all human and we all make mistakes.”  Just because we are human and prone to sin is no excuse to stay in our bad habits and remain in ignorance.  We are called, as beloved children of God, to grow and change constantly. We are called to spend our whole lives on a journey of learning, openness, repentance, conversion and transformation, with God’s grace. 

 

So, a major victory achieved through Christ’s death and resurrection must be seen as the forgiveness of human sin. “The scriptures point out is not easy for us to admit that we are sinners and that there is sin in the world.  Today we speak of ‘mistakes,’ of ‘faults,’ of ‘misunderstandings’—but sin is also there and not to be denied. Sin is a reality that is still a very unpopular topic, even though really, it is not being falsely humble to say…  we are all sinners.

 

We are all invited to look into our hearts and to know that we need salvation.  Jesus needed to die for each and every one of us.  We do well to recognize that our own choices against God are part of the sins in our world.  Can we accept that Jesus came to die for us and for our sins and that in Him we are redeemed (purchased back by God) – Body and soul.

 

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FR. PAUL W. KELLY;  and, Abbot’s Homily. Monastery of Christ in the Desert.

 

Paul's Reflections 347 : 15th April, 2012. 2nd Sunday of Easter - B

Homily 2nd Sunday of Easter - B   15th  April, 2012     

 

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I do think that poor Saint Thomas gets a bad rap sometimes, because of today’s gospel. 

 

Okay, so he refused to believe UNLESS he can see and touch the risen Jesus for himself….   But, really, he stands for all future generations who are tempted to stay merely with what they can see and touch, when the realities of the truth are much more than we as individuals perceive and see and touch with our own senses.

 

I mean, we have all gotten into a plane and trusted the competency of the pilot, but we are trusting the airline has checked the credentials of the pilot and that his or her licence is up-to-date and that they can do what they say…   but few of us would ask to see the pilots licence and even if we did we would have to trust that it is authentic.  Same with doctors ! Sometimes we see the certificate on the wall, but it’s in Latin and most wouldn’t have a clue what it says, but we trust and believe in a whole lot of things.. 

 

I think of red lights and green lights at intersections. We are putting a heck of a lot of faith in those things as we cruise through the intersection …  but what if they went bung and there were green lights in both directions?????    Disaster…   

 

Many people wrongly believed the Enormous ship the RMS Titanic was “unsinkable”….  This belief was erroneous..  and proved so in such an enormous disaster 100 years ago this weekend…       the builders later said..  we never said it was unsinkable..  but designed to be unsinkable..  or ‘virtually unsinkable”  in any case..  it sank..   horrifically…   It was said that at the time of TITANIC there was such a powerful optimism in science and thechnology that people believed that it would be solution for everything.. and that humans could actually achieve the unheard of and design ships and other thechnology that would be unable to be thwarted….    But after the TITANIC, a healthy scepticism came in about the limits of human endeavours and a healthy mistrust for extravangant and outrageous claims ………   

 

There is a spiritual story to the Titanic disaster. There was a young Catholic Jesuit seminarian Frank Brown  who travelled on the first leg of the Titanic voyage. He got the trip as a gift from a relative.  He took some amazing photos of the Titanic that have been published in a classic book.  As a twenty-two year old he travelled on the Titanic.  He befriended a rich couple who offered to pay for him to travel on the final leg of the journey.  He sent off a telegram to his Jesuit Superior asking permission to travel the final leg of the Titanic trip (which would be paid for by the couple) but when he got to Ireland he received a reply telegram a frosty reply saying simply:  “GET OFF THAT SHIP.”  As   a religious he had made a holy vow of obedience and immediately obeyed…  and was  not on the ship when it foundered….    When he received a telegram that the ship and many of the passengers had been lost he folded the telegram silently and put the telegram in his wallet where it remained for the rest of his life…. he said later…  “holy obedience saved my life.” (A) 

 

 

In any case,  There is blind faith, perhaps unreasonable faith….   And then there is reasonable faith….  

 

But much of life is based on educated trust and reasonable faith and trust in the people and institutions we engage with….  And that is good..   almost necessary if we are to get anything done at all…   

 

We do not stay merely with what we can verify with our own sight and touch and senses.   Otherwise we would be stuck in the most terrible rut. 

 

Saint Thomas was surely devastated when his Lord and Messiah (the fulfilment of ALL his hopes and dreams) was so shockingly and brutally tortured and executed.  For him, and many followers of Jesus, their hopes and dreams were smashed into the smallest bits.  They did not and could not yet comprehend that Jesus SAID he would die and then rise again on the third day. 

      To save us

      To defeat the power of sin and death

      To defeat the powers of hate and selfishness and evil.

 

Thomas (and other disciples) were so utterly devastated and disillusioned.   For Thomas, only something as powerful as physical reassurance seemed to be capable of restoring his shattered hopes.

 

Thomas (good Saint Thomas) .. is the FIRST disciple to utter those wonderful words of FAITH

MY LORD, and MY GOD !

 

Finally ! the full revelation of who Jesus is all along !!

This revelation is first uttered on Thomas’ lips …. And is on our lips these (more than) 2000 years later. 

 

But, there is nevertheless a caution issued to us in this gospel too.  Let’s not be going around insisting in physical and personal reassurances about all aspects of our faith and practise, because it is a truly unhappy and fruitless exercise which is bound to lead to a loss of all faith.  So, instead, John’s gospel writes  (addressing us directly):  happy are those who have not seen and yet still believe !!!     THAT IS US…  and all the generations who came after the reliable testimony of the apostles.. who were there and walked with Jesus and talked with Jesus and ate and drank with Jesus and saw and touched him after his resurrection.

 

Many of you may have seen or read about the debate on the ABCTV show “Q& A”   the other night… I find that an irritating show, but I still watch the programme. The ‘tweets’ printed at the bottom of the screen that people write are just awful, (some I suppose are funny)…    in any case…   Cardinal George pell debated noted scientist and sceptic Richard Dawkins…   it was a fascinating debate in which I believe and most people believe, Cardinal pell stole the show and ran off with the prize..  but those convinced that only science matters went off still BELIEVING  (yes believing) that science explains all… and those who have faith went off with faith… so the starting point is all important…   

 

We are not a rationalist religion..  we are neither rationalist  and nor are we fundamentalist or literal.   We are critical realists…  which means…  the debate between ‘which one is true.. science.. or religion”  is a big misnomer…  for science and religion are not wholly incompatible and opposites.. we believe the God who created the world, created the scientific principles that apply to it…  many, many brilliant scientists in past and present history are also people of deep and abiding faith…   presumably they don’t expect science to explain everything in measurable ways….     But in any case…   I did think that poor Mr Dawkins came across as with something of a chip on his shoulder, which I found sad…   if you refuse to look and look with faith..  you cannot find…  and if you refuse to see except in certain ways, you will certainly not see in those ways one refuses to look…!

 

The message of today, and it is a recurring item of faith handed down through the ages, is that Jesus’ resurrection was real. It was not merely metaphorical or spiritual and it was not merely symbolic, but as St Thomas found out and we believe, Jesus was raised in the Flesh.. in the body..  to new life..  and why wouldn’t he..  why couldn’t he..  For we proclaim him to be the Lord of Life..   how could death hold him for any length of time… and he can achieve all things because we dedicate our lives to serve and follow him..  for as Thomas declares today…..     he is our “Lord and God!”    

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          (a) Catholic News Service 10/4/12, article by Sarah MacDonald

Paul's Reflections 346 : Easter 2012

EASTER HOMILY:   2012.

These last three days, (culminating in tonight’s celebration), are all about trusting in God’s FAITHFULNESS !

-         It is also about the importance (and inclusiveness) nature of FAMILY,  FRIENDS and COMMUNITY, (as in God’s vision and definition of these words). Our discipleship of Christ means that we are now widening the bonds of family so that it includes all our brother and sister Christians.

-         Tonight is about the TRANSFORMING POWER OF GOD’S LOVE, and of FAITHFULNESS, OF SERVICE, and OF SELF-GIVING…..

Good Friday and Easter are a testimony to God’s absolute faithfulness to us…

God has the last word in human history..

God will have the last word on the significance of our lives too.

God will have the last word on what is TRULY “success” and what is REALLY “failure”..

God will faithfully vindicate and raise to new and eternal life all who have suffered and all who are continuing to stand up and against injustice and wrongdoing. God will raise up those who have suffered because of natural disasters,  illness, or because of “facing the depths of human evil and wrongdoing” that can be experienced in this life….

The resurrection tells us that Jesus was completely and utterly RIGHT to stand up against everything that was inconsistent with his gospel.   And that we are also right to stand up against wrongdoing;  and it IS GOOD and right to keep hoping for a better world where wrong is not tolerated./// 

We trust that what cannot be fixed in this life will certainly be set right by God in the next, (this is not a defense of apathy, for it is our duty and joy to work for change here in the life, but if some things can’t be fixed despite our every effort with God’s grace.. then God will fix it in the next life. For God is the God of the resurrection

God certainly reserves the last word on everything, and that word is “LOVE.”

Jesus is the victor over sin and death. Tonight (today) is about knowing that we are right to put all our trust and hope in God and the promises of Jesus. Because, God will be forever faithful to us //…..and is always true to his promises to us, (despite any appearances to the contrary).

“For the early Christians, the empty tomb became the symbol of life and of belief—that tomb in which the body of Jesus no longer rested in death.

Death has now lost its “absolute finality”.  Instead of the absolute end, death becomes the door to new life.    We can continue to speak to those who have gone before us in prayer,// and firmly believe that their lives continue on in God’s house.

Today we affirm that it is good to keep loving even in the face of hatred and ridicule and injustice…///  for Love is the only true way…//  every other option is shown up on this day to be false. The power of falsehood has been defeated on the cross..  //stripped of its power… //.   

Love breaks the cycle of hatred, revenge, violence and selfishness….    

Christ is risen as he said….    All that he preached and taught is TRUE!

….  Love is the only way… it is powerful and builds up…  it is eternal….    Love raises us up and removes barriers and ushers in the Kingdom of God….    

Let us rejoice and (like the two disciples who- In John’s gospel version of the Resurrection are so excited by the news that possibly Jesus has risen.. that they rather amusingly “raced each-other” to the empty tomb… and they found that their hopes had been fulfilled. HE IS RISEN.. and he will meet you back in the town… in the midst of your daily life.. you will meet him…. 

let us run as fast as we can back to our daily lives and live the reality of what we celebrate this night..

Faithfulness, love, forgiveness, and a “steadfast refusal to return hatred and vengeance for wrong”….   And let us live a spirit of service, sacrifice, forgiveness, love and a positive support of “community”…. 

God is Raising us up, with Jesus, to a new way of living, a new way of behaving in the world….  And a new way of thinking……  in this life… and also in the next life, giving us eternal life..

And raising up the Kingdom of God (which Jesus came to establish) in our daily lives and in our world.

  

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EASTER (saturday night Vigil) HOMILY:   2012.

-          A warm welcome and congratulations to two ladies who are being FULLY INITIATED INTO THE Catholic Church on this Holy Saturday night: .  Lesley, and Jasmine. You are most welcome. Welcome too, to your families and friends who are with you to celebrate this important step. I pray that you will always be blessed by the constant companionship and guidance of our Lord, who walks with us along our whole life journey and who is faithful to us always. And also a special CONGRATULATUIONS TOO TO LESLEY WHO (AFTER being FULLY INITIATED INTO THE CHURCH this Easter night), WILL THEN BE MARRIED HERE IN THIS SAME CHURCH, TO HER FIANCE DARRYL..   congratulations and every blessing.

-         These last three days, (culminating in tonight’s celebration), are all about trusting in God’s FAITHFULNESS !

-         It is also about the importance (and inclusiveness) nature of FAMILY,  FRIENDS and COMMUNITY, (in God’s vision).

-         Tonight is about the TRANSFORMING POWER OF LOVE, OF FAITHFULNESS, OF SERVICE, and OF GIVING…..

Good Friday and Easter are a testimony to God’s absolute faithfulness to us…

God has the last word in human history..

God will have the last word on what is success and what is “failure”..

God will faithfully vindicate and raise to new and eternal life all who have suffered and all who are continuing to stand up and perservere, (in the face of the worst that life throws up at us).. whether it be the result of natural disasters,  illness, or whther it be “facing the depths of human evil and wrongdoing” that can be experienced in this life….

The resurrection tells us that Jesus was completely and utterly RIGHT to stand up against everything that was inconsistent with his gospel.   We are right to stand up against wrongdoing;  and it IS GOOD and right to keep hoping for a better world where wrong is not tolerated./// 

And, (not out of a sense of apathy or complacency, but as a final reserve………)./..We trust that what cannot be fixed in this life will certainly be set right by God in the next, for God is the God of the resurrection ….  God certainly reserves the last word on everything, and that word is “LOVE.”

Jesus is the victor over sin and death. Tonight (today) is about knowing that we are right to put all our trust and hope in God and the promises of Jesus. Because, God will be forever faithful to us //…..and is always true to his promises to us, (despite any appearances to the contrary).

“For the early Christians, the empty tomb became the symbol of life and of belief—that tomb in which the body of Jesus no longer rested in death.

Death has now lost its “absolute finality”.  Instead of the absolute end, death becomes the door to new life.    We can continue to speak to those who have gone before us in prayer,// and firmly believe that their lives continue on in God’s house.

Today, we celebrate the triumph of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness and the joy of Christ’s rising from the dead for us.  Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.  “ (Abbot’s homily, monastery of Christ in the Desert)

Today we affirm that it is good to keep loving even in the face of hatred and ridicule and injustice…///  for Love is the only true way…//  every other option is shown up on this (night/day) to be false. The power of falsehood has been defeated on the cross..  //stripped of its power… //.   

Love breaks the cycle of hatred, revenge, violence and selfishness….   

Christ is risen as he said….    All that he preached and taught is TRUE!

….  Love is the only way… it is powerful and builds up…  it is eternal….    Love raises us up and removes barriers and ushers in the Kingdom of God….    

Let us rejoice and (like the two disciples who- In John’s gospel version of the Resurrection are so excited by the news that possibly Jesus has risen.. that they rather amusingly “raced each-other” to the empty tomb… and they found that their hopes had been fulfilled. HE IS RISEN.. and he will meet you back in the town… in the midst of your daily life.. you will meet him…. 

let us run as fast as we can back to our daily lives and live the reality of what we celebrate this night..

Faithfulness, love, forgiveness, and a “steadfast refusal to return hatred and vengeance for wrong”….   And let us live a spirit of service, sacrifice, forgiveness, love and a positive support of “community”…. 

God is Raising us up, with Jesus, to a new way of living, a new way of behaving in the world….  And a new way of thinking……  in this life… and also in the next life, giving us eternal life..

And raising up the Kingdom of God (which Jesus came to establish) in our daily lives and in our world.