Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 26, 2020. EPISODE 242

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 26, 2020

EPISODE 242

Readings for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A

FIRST READING: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12

Psalm 119:57+72, 76-77, 127-28, 129-30. "Lord, I love your commands."
SECOND READING: Romans 8:28-30

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (cf. Matthew 11:25).Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth. You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13:44-52 or 13:44-46

 

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed stock photo ID: 80573221. Single beam from the sun that shines into the mouth of a cave. By berserg  
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 26, 2020 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-17a-episode-242  (EPISODE: 242)
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Prologue: In the parable, a man discovers a treasure in a field and sells EVERYTHING else he has, in order that he could HAVE THAT treasure. The Treasure of infinite value is God's Kingdom,..//  Jesus' good news…//  being united forever with Jesus in God's family……/  IT IS LIKE A RARE TREASURE… Nothing else on earth is as valuable as this……  It is worth giving up everything else to attain it…//…  It has a richness and a depth that can never be fully plumbed {As I read that parable of the treasure in the field….…..I am reminded of the quote from G.K. Chesterton, (the great English scholar and writer)…  (and I am paraphrasing it liberally here)….  He writes….. 'It's not that Christianity hasn't worked, it is just that nobody's really tried it yet !' } (actually, the correct quote is: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried." ― G.K. Chesterton, In "What's Wrong with the World").    Our faith is a treasure of incredible depth…   if one thinks they have grasped it enough to 'find it wanting'… I am really not sure where they have been digging………..The gospel continues to be priceless and precious; worthy of all our efforts to explore. …  May God, who has so graciously accompanied and given success to our work so often in the past, continue this good work in us and bring it to perfection. 

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17^th SUNDAY-ORDINARY TIME-YEAR-A-2020

Aren't you just a little envious of Solomon being invited by God to, "Ask what you would like me to give you". What a tantalising question. Give yourself a moment before you answer, but what would you ask for?

 

Then you might ask yourself, "did Solomon get it right?", when he asked for wisdom when there would have been so many more immediately gratifying things to request. What about heaps of money or excellent health, or if he was less selfish world peace or an end to poverty. The list is endless, or at least my list is.

 

Of course, it's the great riddle of life: why would he ask for something that he already had. Why do we always want more of what we already have, when we don't use all that we have got?

 

In some way, all of us are treasure hunters, looking for the next new thing that will make us completely happy, yet we always seem to be looking for something more. Not unlike a child who is frustrated when they can't grab another biscuit because both hands are already full. We seem to be more fearful of a future that might run out of what we need, rather than relishing a present that is providing all that is necessary.

 

Mind you, Jesus loves the searcher, the seeker, even if we go searching in the wrong places sometimes.  The problem is that we are usually searching for success or riches – the things that will make life easier –rather than the things that will make life more meaningful. In doing this we tend to miss out on the whole purpose of life. How to live best, not easiest.

 

For the Christian, the fine pearl of the parable is our faith, our relationship with God, not that we feel we ever really grasp the full value of this precious thing, but the search for the pearl commits us to seek and discover direction, purpose and answers.

 

When Solomon asked for wisdom, he found out that he could have an easy life, if that he really wanted but it wouldn't teach him the reason for life. Wisdom taught him how to dig for the real treasures of life, not hidden in the ground, but already in his grasp.

 

Once again we discover that Jesus' own perception of life differs sharply from so many people's. He was constantly challenging people to see and see again in order to understand anew. To that purpose, his stories turned much of popular wisdom on its head, and this was done in the hope that his listeners might catch something of another way of living in God's world. In effect, Jesus had what Solomon prayed for – a heart to discern the ways of the people and the ways of God, as well as determination to close the gap between the two ways.

 

We know that Jesus had to give up everything he values – his family, his home, his security – to do his Father's will and preach the kingdom of God. For Jesus there is o treasure greater than his Father's will: when he uncovered what it was, he renounced everything to make it his own.

 

We realistically know that none of us can gain anything of value without renouncing something. Perhaps what we have to renounce first is our perception of what real treasure in life really is. For some this realisation comes early in life, for others, it is a lifelong search. For people of faith the real treasure of life in right under our noses – in the people we share life with, in the opportunities in life we face every day to live the values of Jesus. Yet we all try to look elsewhere for fulfilment, hoping that the treasure will fall into our lap, realising that none of this might appear as a glittering prize, but may be found in the ordinariness and the common-place events of each day, not hidden deeply in the complexities of life. Perhaps it is a clearer vision we should be asking from God. Vision to see what is already ours and to see past what does not bring us fulfilment.

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References:
homily:  fr peter Dillon.

 

Prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed stock photo ID: 80573221. Single beam from the sun that shines into the mouth of a cave. By Berserg 

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, July 26, 2020) (EPISODE: 242 )
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{Good wishes to you all.}}

 

Coming together as Gods family, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you call your people to turn away from sin: Lord, have mercy//You teach us wisdom, and write your truth in our inmost heart: Christ, have mercy//You forgive sins through the ministry of reconciliation: Lord, have mercy//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary VII
Euch prayer II
Communion side. pwk: LH

(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  1)
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{{I pray that you have a wonderful and grace-filled week.}}

Go forth, the Mass is ended.

 

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

 

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement Stefan Kelk 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 

May God bless and keep you. 
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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 19, 2020 EPISODE 241

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 19, 2020
EPISODE 241

Readings for 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16. "Lord, you are good and forgiving."
SECOND READING: Romans 8:26-27
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (cf. Matthew 11:25).Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth. You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13:24-43 or 13:24-30
 
Shutterstock licensed stock photo ID: 1325193074. Field bindweed twines around wheat grain stalks & spikes in a field. Close-up of convolvulus, having pink flower buds & green leaves, trails around a golden wheat stalk. Weed growing in a wheat field. By Ellita
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 19, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-16a-episode-241/s-uDg2z4r3R2T  (EPISODE: 241)
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PROLOGUE: Fr Paul Kelly:  A Quality that describes God in the readings this weekend is "Forbearance"  -which is defined as: "patience, being long-suffering, tolerance, or "the act of refraining from enforcing a debt, obligation or right."   (Merriam Webster Dictionary Online)  

"God is all-powerful, but is gentle and always wants to give us time for a change, for transformation, and for repentance." (Abbot's homily, Monastery of Christ in the desert).  

I for one am very glad that God is patient..  ….That God gives us time to be fully transformed by the gospel…….. I am sure we have all benefited from that most reassuring of Divine qualities… "forbearance and mercy."   

 We are invited to focus more than ever on doing as much good as we can, in being people of kindness, mercy, justice and compassion in deeper ways with each passing day. Let us not allow the hurts and sins of the world to stop us from doing yet-more-good; to love more deeply than before. When the weeds around us might otherwise prompt us to respond with negativity, bitterness, revenge or hate, and where sin and hurt abound, let us ensure that the grace, kindness and forbearing love of Christ all the more abound in all that we do and say…    
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16^th Sunday Ordinary Time – Year A – 2020
(Our apologies for the error last week where we initially posted this weekend's homily – so if it looks/sounds familiar, it is because it briefly appeared previously. We corrected the error as soon as it was noted. Here it is, related to the correct Gospel and readings. Pk).

We all have a tendency to divide people into two categories: saints or sinners. However, this division is quite unreal. Human beings are complex, and we find things that are at odds with one another coexisting in the same human being.

There is a coexistence in every person of good and evil, strength and weakness, loyalty and betrayal. As soon as we discover a weakness in someone, we write that person off. Our heroes must be perfect. As soon as we find a flaw or crack in another person we lose faith in them.

But we all know ourselves and we know that things are not that simple. We are all an extraordinary mixture of good and bad. Moreover, the roots of good are so intertwined with the roots of evil that one can't be pulled up without pulling up the other. If we aren't careful we may end up having no one who is free from imperfections and we will start to think everyone is untrustworthy and should be treated with suspicion. 

By concentrating on people vices, we become blind to their virtues. We are only too eager to voice our criticisms, but reluctant to offer a single word of encouragement, and in this way, we bar every road to improvement.

The message of this parable is something Jesus lived throughout his ministry.

He reached out to all sorts of people. Mixing with priests and crooks, scribes and politicians, children and tax-collectors. The Pharisees, those whose very name means " the separated ones", criticised him for associating with the wrong crowd, but Jesus knew that all communities were a mixture of the weeds and wheat, the good and bad, the crooked and the cracked, and it wasn't always easy to tell the difference.

The farmer in the parable thought he had an impossible task, but he did what most of us don't in this situation. He calmed down and was able to see things from a better perspective. Certainly, he could see that his precious field had both weeds and wheat and he recognised that he would have to work hard on the wheat, coaxing it and encouraging it so that it would outgrow the weeds. Like all good farmers, he worked hard on himself, not to give in to despair. He did not give up on his fled simply because it was a mixture of light and darkness. 

On harvest day the farmer separated the wheat and the weeds, and he reaped a fine harvest. Even though it fell short of the hundred per cent he had hoped for. It was a satisfying harvest because there is always more.

Firstly, we have to learn to be patient and lenient, mostly towards ourselves. We must be hospitable to all that we are. We must acknowledge the dark side of ourselves, with not conceding victory to it. We must struggle on in spite of the weeds, confident that goodwill finally triumph. It is through struggle that we are able to grow, provided we don't throw in the towel.

While we do have some responsibility to help the good plants flourish it is not our job as a church to set up inquisitions and purge the field for our own approved supports. The Church is not God after all. The final judgments are not ours to pronounce, but ours to prepare for, always with the hope that there will be changes before then. It is a hope that should never be denied, least of all by the followers of Jesus.
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References:
homily:  fr peter Dillon

prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly. Quoting Mary Coloe. LiturgyHelp.com;  and MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT'S HOMILY.

Shutterstock licensed stock photo ID: 1325193074. Field bindweed twines around wheat grain stalks & spikes in a field. Close-up of convolvulus, having pink flower buds & green leaves, trails around a golden wheat stalk. Weed growing in a wheat field. By Ellita


Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, July 19, 2020) (EPISODE: 241 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{hello everyone}}

Brothers and sisters, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Lord,s supper, let us recall our sins and acknowledge them in silence.
Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to the Father and to one another: Lord, have mercy//You heal the wounds of our sin and division: Christ, have mercy// You intercede for us with the Father: Lord, have mercy//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: own preface
Various Needs and Occasions. II
Communion side. pwk: RH
(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  4)
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{{thanks everyone. And may God sustain you with his grace and love.}}

Go in peace. 

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. This arrangement Stefan Kelk 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 

May God bless and keep you. 
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Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 12, 2020. EPISODE 240 (corrected version)

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 12, 2020
EPISODE 240

Apologies to everyone. There was an error in the original email sent with the Mass and homily for Surfers Paradise Parish. please see below for the correction. 
God bless,

pk

Readings for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14. "The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest."
SECOND READING: Romans 8:18-23
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, ((no bibl. ref.)). Alleluia, alleluia! The seed is the Word of God, Christ is the sower. All who come to him will live forever.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13:1-23 or 13:1-9

Image Credit: Shutterstock illustration ID: 50338744. Sower seeding the seeds, the Gospel parable from the Bible about the Sower. By Thoom
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 12, 2020 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-orindary-15a-episode-240  (EPISODE: 240)
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Prologue: (Fr Paul): The wonderful image of the sower and the seed that falls on all sorts of different environments reminds us that just as a seed has within it everything needed to produce a viable plant, it will produce nothing unless it is properly watered and nourished and finds the right soil or medium to take hold.  It is similar to the idea of a delicious meal which contains all the nutrition needed to help a person stay healthy - But the meal is useless unless it is eaten. It is also like a light bulb that has the potential to light up a room but only if it is fitted into the socket and switched on.     How important is the environment with which the Word of God is received. We need to actively protect, promote and nurture the good treasure we have received so that it will indeed bear much fruit by keeping constantly close to the water of Life… God's living word and sacraments.    
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Homily – By Fr. Peter Dillon
15TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A-2020

We are very fortunate to live in a parish where there are many important ministries working hard each day to make the message and the presence of God felt by many, particularly by those who are yet to hear Gods' voice.

But perhaps the most important of our ministries is one that gets very little attention and has trouble surviving because most people don't really see the point. It's the children liturgy of the word. We offer it in only one of our churches every other Sunday and not on school holidays and we always have great difficulty finding generous people who are prepared to offer their time to helping young people hear the word of God pitched at the level of young people.

The American theologian, Monica Hellwig wrote: "a child's mind is like a seed. It can make barren ground fruitful, but it is a fragile and vulnerable thing. If we don't carefully tend it and feed it properly, it is very hard to get it to grow the right way". She went on to tell us that most adult Catholic s learn their understanding of God and our connection to God from well-intentioned, but most ill-informed adults, yet we have held on to those beliefs without any enhancement or rational application for the rest of our lives.

I believe that she is saying if we don't nurture and feed our faith knowledge then we are doomed to thinking about and applying the Word of God at 80 years the same way we did when we first heard about God around 8 years of age. That, to me, is an uncomfortable truth.

Words, any words, contain an enormous amount of power. Power to change, to comfort. To inspire, to teach. To correct. To challenge or change a life. Similarly they can come to nothing and evaporate into the ether. Words are totally dependent on the one who speaks or write them as well as the one who reads or hears them. And so it is with the word of God.

Some minds are closed to God's words, sometimes because they think they know all they need to know about life and how to live it or sometimes they fear any new understanding of life that may cause them to alter their present perspective. In each case these people become unteachable.

Others hear God's word initially with enthusiasm and relevance, but tend to forget it when situations get difficult or some other perspective takes hold. These people start of well but get distracted, too busy or involved and prefer to take a less-demanding path.

Other people hear God's word carefully and gently. They work at trying to get to its meaning at ground-level and then later at a deeper level, at its roots. When they feel they have a good grasp on its meaning they then try to act on it and see how it can be applied throughout their lives.

It's for these people that the word of God finds a secure place to grow, for those who make the effort to understand it, ensuring that this word becomes and event in their lives and becomes a fruitful thing, not simply letters on a page.

Underlying today's parable there is a telling confidence: in spite of all the obstacles present in the various types of soil, the word of God, despite apparent failure and repeated opposition will indeed enjoy great fruitfulness.

So how would you describe your response to the message of God?

Does it take root in you?

Do you make a serious effort to understand it?

Do you welcome it with a great show and then go on to do your own thing?

Do you hear it and then smother it with your own concerns?

 

 As we answer these questions, we should be patient with ourselves. Like all seeds, this word of God it needs time to grow. The sower knows that he has to wait for the weather and the slow thrust of life. There is no denying that the process takes time. But the seed has first to be sown by a farmer who understand and cares deeply about the process of growth.

 

 And that is why the Children Liturgy of the Word is so important, because if the seed in not even planted in any soil then no life will ever flourish. Nothing will take root. All our wishing for young people to know God will amount to nothing if we just hope someone else will step up before us.

 If we first take the time to nourish the word in the young, God will wait on the gradual process. It might take a lifetime and it may take a struggle to grow. But eventually the word of God and our own word might become one. And that would be a rich harvest indeed.
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References:
Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon

PROLOGUE: Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock illustration ID: 50338744. Sower seeding the seeds, the Gospel parable from the Bible about the Sower. By Thoom


Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, July 12, 2020) (EPISODE: 240 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{How are you today}}

As one family in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by calling to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of peace. Lord have mercy// You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ have mercy// You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. Lord have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary V
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side. pwk: LH
(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  3)
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{{heartfelt thanks to you all for uniting in prayer and reflectying upon God's goodness and care.}}

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org .

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 


May God bless and keep you. 
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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 5, 2020 EPISODE 239

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 5, 2020
EPISODE 239

Readings for 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Zechariah 9:9-10
Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14. "I will praise your name forever my king and my God"
SECOND READING: Romans 8:9, 11-13
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (cf. Matthew 11:25).Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth. You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
GOSPEL: Matthew 11:25-30
 

Shutterstock licensed stock photo ID: 251742775. "Rest for the weary-Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." By grace21
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, July 5, 2020 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-14a-episode-239  (EPISODE: 239)
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Prologue: There are so many wonderful readings and many of them we know so well,  yet every time we hear them again we can get something new from them – a deeper richness to their timeless message.

For example, in this familiar Gospel, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light"…..    The Greek word in the original text of this gospel uses the word for easy or gentle as "Chrestos"    which is astounding.  It is so similar to the word Christos, meaning the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah and King.

In the time of Our Lord, people expected that the Messiah was going to be a warrior King who would come with power and force and violently overthrow the occupying forces of the Roman Empire and establish a new Kingdom on earth.  They also believed that this Messiah or Christ would seek retribution upon anyone who had not lived up to God's law and bring down vengeance upon them. Then, along comes Jesus as the true messiah and he is not violent, forceful or military, but he is gentle and humble…  The Christos turns out to be Chrestos…   that is…  "The Christ is gentle."  His burdens on us are light.   This is astounding and beautiful.   Our Lord says,  "learn from me for I am gentle and humble."

Often when we describe a yoke….. or a burden….. these words create the impression of hardship and difficulty……… and yet… it is good to remind ourselves…… that a yoke was ultimately designed to be used in order to make the task easier….. to make it manageable… and tolerable…. // With a heavy task, a yoke allows a person or an animal to lift a weight and carry that weight in such a way that distributes the weight and makes it possible to carry, and tolerable over an extended period of time……..

May God richly bless us and give us the joy, the rest and the relief that comes with this faith…, hope and love.
(Reference: William Barclay - Commentary on Matthew's Gospel).
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Fr Peter Dillon:
I once received what I have come to know as a 'backhanded compliment'. Not long after ordination in my first parish, a well-intentioned parishioner said to me: "Father the thing I like about your homilies is that you don't clutter them up with theology". I think I know what he was trying to say and as I look back over the years since then, I am now convinced that my greatest insights into the nature of God and my relationship with God, did not come from theologians – at least not the classically trained ones. I realise now that I learned more about the incarnation and the redemptive nature of God from people who maybe didn't even realise they were teaching at the time. People who didn't clutter up their lives with profound theological arguments and long treatises on transubstantiation. Their explanations were earthy and practical and not constrained by fear of not being accepted as a credible source of knowledge. They were people whose words and witness made me ask questions about the 'why' and 'how' of God and creation.

The common characteristic of all these people was that they all had simple insights and a sure faith born of experience and a realistic approach to life.

One was a grandparent, another a fond aunt. There was a kitchen worker at the seminary while another a sacristan in a busy parish. All shared a deep theology with great conviction, but in the most simple of words.

Some of their memorable phrases that have stayed with me:
You can't pray away all your problems
Leaving it all to God can lead to laziness
God can't speak to you if you don't shut up for a minute.
Such wisdom from such child-like minds.

I later started to worry that I may have missed out on some of life's great lessons because I was looking for qualifications or an academic acknowledgment instead of lived experience. It started to become clear to me that we don't really learn about God so much as we live God, sometimes by trial and error, but never without getting to know the part of us that connects up with God.

Although Jesus never ran for public office or sought to join any religious community, he had to learn to trust his own lived wisdom. Along the way when he shared that wisdom he was rejected because he was not one of the publically acknowledged authorities. We can imagine that he lived and learned from the simple people in Nazareth. He knew first hand their hardships and he saw that his role to assist them to life those burdens, by reminding them that not all burdens are important and some are mere 'baggage' not 'responsibilities'. But not all people saw his inner purpose of doing the Fathers will. 

Maybe he thought that the rabbis and those who were educated in the word of God would be the first to recognise what he had come to offer. But on many occasions he was very disappointed. What he came to realise is that the Father often overlooks the learned and the clever to settle his favour on the simple, on those who have received no formal training in the Law.

When it comes to revealing who he is the Father looks to people who exercise no power and enjoy no prestige in the community. He looks to people like his disciples.

Remember that in Jesus time there were whole groups of people who were dismissed as sinners because they follow what were regarded as dishonourable callings – people whose lifestyle did not permit them to observe the small print of the Law.

These people were at the bottom of the social heap and were ignored, but Jesus had a word for them and all those who were bowed down by the interpretation of the law. He had no intention of doing away with the law, but he refused to support those who spent their time finding new burdens for broken people.

Saint Peter in Acts 15 also admits that the disciples of Jesus could not bear the full yoke of the Law. He says: "Why should they demand of others that which they have never managed to do themselves?" then a gentle reminder that we believe that we are saved in the same way as the lawmakers are: through the grace of the Lord.

Jesus offers any who were prepared to listen, an invitation to come and learn from him and find rest for their souls and in doing so he makes himself the centre of his own teaching. He is the Wisdom of God, and personal fidelity to him will be the mark of the true disciple. God has chosen him to be the one who enshrines the fullness of revelation and who embodied the new Law of God. When we refer to simple faith we sometimes think that we are 'dumbing down' our belief and practices.

I prefer to think of us as not dismissing people and their experiences as being useless and unworthy. It puts a whole new perspective on who really are the learned and the clever.
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References:
Fr Peter Dillon

Prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly

Shutterstock licensed stock photo ID: 251742775. "Rest for the weary-Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." By grace21


Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, July 5, 2020) (EPISODE: 239 )
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{Shalom (peace)}}

Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pause and reflect upon our sins, in order to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God's kingdom: Lord, have mercy// You come in word and in sacrament to strengthen us and make us holy: Christ, have mercy//You will come again in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary IV
Eucharistic Prayer I
Communion side. pwk: RH
(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  2)
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{{Bless you all and May God's grace guide you each and every day.}}

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988. This arrangement from 2007.  

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 

-Lenten Hymn: "Have Mercy," inspired by Psalm 50(51). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020
[ Production - KER - 2020] 

-Come Holy Spirit Hymn: inspired by the Hymn by  Rabanus Maurus (9th century). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020. Sound effects by Mark DiAngelo,

May God bless and keep you. 
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