Sixth Sunday of Easter. Year B -MOTHERS DAY -- Sunday, May 9, 2021 (EPISODE: 297)

Sixth Sunday of Easter. Year B -MOTHERS DAY -- Sunday, May 9, 2021
(EPISODE: 297)

Readings for Sixth Sunday of Easter. Year B
FIRST READING: Acts 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48 (diff)
Ps 98: 1, 2-3a, 3b-4. "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. "
SECOND READING: 1 John 4: 7-10
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 14: 23). Alleluia, alleluia! All who love me will keep my words, and my Father will love them and we will come to them.
GOSPEL: John 15: 9-17

Image Credit: Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Sixth Sunday of Easter. Year B - Sunday, May 9, 2021 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/easter-6b-2021-episode-297  
(EPISODE: 297)
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* (Prologue:  Fr Paul Kelly)

All of the scripture readings this weekend say a lot about the core of Christ's message.  There are quite a few lines that jump out at me as we listen to the readings this weekend.
 
Lines such as these:
 
Saint Peter said to Cornelius: "Get up. I myself am also a human being."….. 
 
"the believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles …."
 
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
 
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
 
God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. ,…..he loved us first and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
 
Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
 
"I have told you  this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.
 
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends
 
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
 
These lines from the readings this weekend are profound and important, and worth deeper thought and reflection.
 
 In summary, what these lines say to me is, we must keep in mind that our Christian faith is not ultimately about us, but it is about God. That might, at first glance, seem to be an obvious truism, however, we do acknowledge that in a world where ME, ME, ME  is often front and centre,  we as a whole, can sometimes forget that we are merely men and women and not 'little gods' in charge of our destiny, and we are ultimately not the centre of our own world or the world around us. 
 
How wonderful that the Holy Spirit of God took initiative and fell upon Gentiles even before they were baptised. God's Spirit blows where it wills and inspires and acts upon people in and outside the visible confines of religion and church and does what God wants.  That is also an important and humble corrective. We will never be able to limit God's generous and proactive activity in and among the peoples and cultures of the world. Nor should we ever want to stop this divine right of God to do as God wishes and act in and through whom God wants. (nor could we ever stop God anyway).
 
Also, the readings today remind us that God's very nature is LOVE. One cannot know God if we do not know love and do not show love. This love is to show itself in the way Jesus showed love. And the kind of love Jesus shows us is self-sacrificing love which gives and does not count the cost, and reaches out to give rather than grasping to possess. 
 
And in connection to this, God's desire and plan for us is to have joy to the full and to be not servants or slaves but friends who are willing co-workers and colleagues with God, in God's plans. We are indeed friends and colleagues with Jesus, but also friends who know our place; in the sense that we never get a 'big head' and think that since we are "co-workers" and "friends" of Christ, we could ever "play God for our own benefit" over others.
 
So, today's readings say to me: Be joyful, be loving, be free, be friends, be not slaves and nor ever be begrudging labourers, but rather,  be as Christ showed us, because God is all about self-giving, self-forgetting  love which reaches out to everyone without fear and favour, and which is about practical and joyful service and compassion which reduces ego and self-interest and acts and thinks more as a brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity rather than "them and us"    These are sound foundations upon which to build our true discipleship of Christ.   
 
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(Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon).
Wendy Mary Beckett (25 February 1930 – 26 December 2018), better known as Sister Wendy, was a British religious sister and art historian who became well known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television documentaries on the history of art. Her programmes, such as Sister Wendy's Odyssey and Sister Wendy's Grand Tour, often drew a 25 percent share of the British viewing audience. Her quaint and simple appearance had The New York Times described her as "a sometime hermit who is fast on her way to becoming the most unlikely and famous art critic in the history of television."

I became a great fan of Sister Wendy avidly following her instruction to "look deeper than what you first see, there are many layers of meaning to be discovered". Her particular passion was for religious paintings urging the viewer to try to get into the mind of the painter. To see and feel what they felt. The very same instructions certainly apply to the gospels and their authors.


Gospel always like those pictures with different levels of meaning. The underlying truth or picture is mean to be God. But that clarity is not always clear on first hearing the words. We sometimes need to let their intention sink in. We need to sometimes sit before the text and allow it to wash over us, again following the Sister Wendy method. How can we see or understand God, and how much of that meaning is influenced by our own circumstances at the time. Are we allowing God to speak to us through the descriptions of the ancient author?

 The gospel gives us certain pictures that we can initially relate to. God is a rock, a king, a shepherd, a parent, a vine with branches. But God transcends all these images, visual and verbal, and in the end the mystery that is God cannot be limited.  Just like love, we are told today. True love has no limits and that is what God is. This must always be the starting point in trying to understand God. Because of love, God sent Jesus to save us. To do this by giving us an example of limitless loving, to the end, to death.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Hindu pacifist and admirer of Jesus, was asked once, 'Why don't you become a Christian?' He answered 'Because I have never met one'.

We often rack our brains in our struggle to encompass God and the ways of God, but the mystery of life consistently evades our grasp. John's message is that truth is both simpler and deeper than we imagine. It lies at the heart of the search.

The paintings of one of the great masters. But the secret to the mystery, to understanding the heart of the message, is to understand what love feels like. If we know what it is like to love one another, if we love our world in the way the Son revealed to us, then we unlock the mystery. The words give up their true picture, and the world takes on a sense we otherwise cannot see. If we don't know what love feels like, if we have never felt love, then it is impossible to grasp the depth of what Jesus is trying to convey through the Gospel writer. The parables become simply abstract stories with no place to settle in our own experience.

Imagining the audience 'in front of the text'. Why is the community of John being told so repeatedly about the centrality of love, over and over again? Have they not got the message? Are they slow to love others, especially strangers? It's the same issue in the first reading. Peter's dreams while asleep on the roof of the house of Simon the tanner (earlier in chapter 10) opened him to the possibility of admitting outsiders to the community of faith. Peter would have caused enough trouble by lodging with someone in an 'unclean' occupation, a tanner, without now saying that Gentiles were to be admitted to the Jewish Christian community. Peter comes to an understanding that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit offers proof of this when he comes down on all the listeners, including the Gentiles, just as at Pentecost.

Our parish can suffer similar divisions and exclusiveness, and lay us open to the charge of Mahatma Ghandi. Do we really see Christ in one another? Do we even want to see Christ in each other? Do we see Christ in our pastor, does our pastor see Christ in us? If faith is deficient, failure to love will surely follow.

People often complain about sermons on love - unrelieved saccharine nonsense, with little or no practical application. Today's readings have a direct bearing on the survival and growth of our Christian communities. I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last.... what I command you is to love one another. If faith and love are not the basis of our pastoral endeavours, we shall achieve nothing, and as Sister Wendy might say "all we see is paint on a canvas".

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References:

Homily – fr peter Dillon

Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash


Sixth Sunday of Easter. Year B  (Sunday, May 9, 2021)  (EPISODE: 297 )

The Lord be with You

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
Happy Mother's Day to all mums as we here in Australia celebrate Mother's Day. Different parts of the world celebrate mother's Day on different dates in the year, but whatever date it is celebrated; it is no coincidence that Christ used the image of an unconditionally loving parent to describe an essential characteristic of God's nature. What better example of unconditional love can be witnessed than the love of a Mother or a Father for their cherished child? Christ wants us to know and experience the deep and abiding love that God has for us, in calling us God's daughters and sons.  This weekend we pray for all Mothers, that they may be blessed for their goodness, kindness and self-forgetting love.


As one family in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by calling to mind our sins.  

Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy

You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy

You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: 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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Ps 98: 1, 2-3a, 3b-4. "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. "

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 14: 23). Alleluia, alleluia! All who love me will keep my words, and my Father will love them and we will come to them.
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PREFACE: Easter V
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Let us pray in heartfelt thanksgiving to God, for all Mums on this Mother's Day weekend. That God bless them .  for their unconditional love and care. ………..(PAUSE)……. Lord hear us

For those who have passed into eternal life.....especially all dear-departed mothers, who have gone to their eternal rest and remain in cherished memory. That they now are enjoying the heavenly and eternal banquet feast of the Kingdom...... ………..(PAUSE)……. Lord hear us
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A Prayer in Gratitude and Blessing for Our Mothers.
 
Good and Gentle God, Lord of creation, we pray in gratitude for our mothers and for all the women who have joined with you in the wonder of bringing forth new life and nurturing with love, young lives. Jesus, you became human through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant to all mothers the grace and strength they need to face the uncertain moments that life often brings us all.  Give them the ongoing strength to love and to be loved in return. Give them the faithful support of family and friends and the wider community.  May they receive peace and joy through their family and friends.   Give them joy and delight in their families and friends, to sustain them through joys and sorrows. Most of all, give them the wisdom to turn to you for help when they need it most.  Bless all our mothers and grant them reward for their unconditional love and kindness. Through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

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{thank you so much for taking this time to listen to, and reflect upon  God's word and praising God's goodness and care. }

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 our weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  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.

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

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha 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.

[ Production -  KER -  2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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Fifth Sunday of Easter. Year B - Sunday, May 2, 2021 (EPISODE: 296)

Readings for Fifth Sunday of Easter. Year B
FIRST READING: Acts 9:26-31
Ps 22:26-27, 28+30, 31-32. "I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people."
SECOND READING: 1 John 3:18-24
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 15:4a+5b). Alleluia, alleluia! Live in me, and let me live in you, says the Lord. My branches bear much fruit.
GOSPEL: John 15:1-8

Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed stock vector ID: 402647986 -Floral corner frame with grapevine, grape clusters on a vine tree with a cross, By Thoom
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Fifth Sunday of Easter. Year B - Sunday, May 2, 2021 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/easter-5b-2020-episode-296/s-gudgsAiuCla  (EPISODE: 296)
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* Abiding in God and God Abiding in Us. 
The Easter Season continues this weekend.  We see the wonderful boldness of the disciples, who fearlessly preach God's word, even in the face of opposition.  And we see what a true leader is like. A shepherd cares for and knows their flock, and would give their life for them. 
 
One of my all-time favourite images in the new testament writings is this concept of us "abiding"  or living in God,  and God abiding and living in us. This powerful concept is mentioned several times, including in John's Gospel but also in John's letters and other New Testament letters*
 
Can we picture a deeper connection than being united with God by means of God dwelling in our hearts and making a home in us, and us in him?  This is such a profound concept of communion in the widest sense of that word.   
 
We are all invited to be disciples and friends of Jesus. The word "Disciple" means "one who learns"  - Our role is to learn from Jesus. To get to know him, to learn something about his words and his teaching to observe reverently what he nurtures as his deeply-embedded attitudes and values; so that we might capture and nurture that same Spirit, that same inner strength and drive as our teacher possesses by his very nature.
 
Our Gospel this weekend is that great image of the Vine and the branches. It shows the profound and deep connection we have, and are called to have, with Jesus. 
 
We are called to not only observe and learn about Jesus, but to allow Jesus' and his presence, his message, his attitudes, to become so much part of us that Jesus lives in us, and we live in God and we also, through Christ, abide in one other's hearts. Further, we gain our source, our meaning and our fruitfulness FROM that connection to Christ. 
 
Without Jesus, our efforts are misdirected and fruitless. Connected to Jesus, our actions and efforts bear much fruit, by God working in and through our lives. 
 
The connection of this image of the vine and branches, cannot help but highlight the importance of Eucharist. In Eucharist, Jesus comes to us in the form of food and drink. We take Jesus into our very selves,  and Jesus becomes part of us. In turn, we become more and more like Christ in our words and actions and lives. 
 
Inspired by these wonderful readings this weekend, the following things would be a wonderful rule of life, they should constantly be in our thoughts and prayers:
Prayer, and connection to God
Attention to what God is doing in our lives.
Reflection on our lives and actions; to honestly, openly, and regularly look back at our decisions, our actions and our values, in order to see how these match up with God's love.
Stillness, to allow God to be present to us and within us,  and speak to our listening and attentive hearts. 
Oneness, we are called to unity, (oneness), and communion, with God and one another !!
 
"I am the vine, says the Lord, and you are the branches…. whoever abides in Jesus and Jesus abides in them, will bear much fruit in their lives."
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Homily – Fr Peter Dillon – Homily- 5th Sunday Easter B 2021

The readings of the Easter season give us statements of identity, our Creed, who God is, who we are, what we believe. Lent was a time for conversion, turning back to God. Easter season is a time for discovering the effects of Jesus' resurrection in our lives.

Christ wrote no books. He left no buildings or monuments behind. Yet he did something far greater and more necessary. He built a community. This was his "monument". His suffering death and ultimate rising, had a profound impact on Christ's disciples. We see them come to a much more confident faith in him as a constant presence in their lives. They form a tightly knit community around the risen Christ. They accepted his challenge, "as the Father sent me, so I send you..." which is the foundation of the mission of the church.

 Thomas was the model of the faithful doubter, who sought a resolution for his doubts, and finally came to understand where his questioning led him when he said, 'My Lord and My God'. Last Sunday we discovered Christ as 'the Good Shepherd' offering the model of selfless pastoral care.

 Today he offers us a new image, 'I am the true vine, my father is the vine grower, and you are the branches". These metaphors for how we are to live have survived to this day, mainly because we can picture what he was teaching the disciples. More than words, they are images that seem real and relevant in any age. His image of the community as a vine was a simple but profound illustration of unity, closeness and interdependence.

I was fortunate to grow up in an area where the growing of grapes was a large local industry. On many orchards around the town there were vineyards and fruit trees. In fact, my grandfather had a large vineyard and I was very aware of the hard work involved in pruning and preparing the vines for harvesting. Pruning the vines, or 'chipping' as it was called, was a delicate job, because to cut too deeply or carelessly could completely sever a branch from the root, resulting in the withering and ultimate death of the branch. No branch, no fruit.

In spring the branches of the vine teemed with life in the form of leaves and tiny berries, with no resemblance of what they would become in a very short time.  In autumn they were loaded with grapes, the fully formed fruit, reading for picking. It was always a time of excitement to see how much could be produced from what had appeared months before to be bare branches.

But just as the branches needed the vine to produce the nourishment, so too the vine needed the branches to produce the fruit. We are those branches which means that Christ also needs us. Together we form a unity. From this we see how great is the trust that Jesus placed in his disciples, and also has placed in us. As inadequate as we might feel, we must never forget that we are attached to that sturdy vine.
 
One thing I noticed back then was not every vine produced the fullest and juiciest fruit. Some vines were less productive than others. While they all produced some fruit they were of varied quality. My grandfather explained that the less productive vines would get more attention next year. They needed a little more nourishment and fertilising. But he was always hopeful and rarely did he completely remove the vine. This perhaps is a good reminder that Christ didn't ask everyone to be successful, but fruitful. Each of us has some gift, something productive. By developing, using, and sharing that gift with others we become fruitful. It is up to God, the vine to make us fruitful whether we see it or not. If Christ prunes us through trials it is only to make us more fruitful. When we are pruned by suffering, we produce fruit of understanding and compassion.

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References:
homily – fr peter Dillon

Prologue- Fr Paul W. Kelly

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Abiding-In-Christ

Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed stock vector ID: 402647986 -Floral corner frame with grapevine, grape clusters on a vine tree with a cross, By Thoom


Fifth Sunday of Easter. Year B  (Sunday, May 2, 2021)  (EPISODE: 296 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{May God's Spirit of Knowledge and reverence}}

As we prepare to celebrate the great Sacramental feast of Gods love, let us pause, recall our sins, and trust in Gods infinite mercy. 

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: Easter IV
EP II
Communion side.  pwk:  LH
(theme variation: 3 )
(pre+post variation: 3)
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{My heartfelt thanks to you, for your participation in this time of reflection, prayer and praise. }

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 Trisha 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.

[ Production -  KER -  2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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Fourth Sunday of Easter. Year B – (ANZAC DAY in Australia and New Zealand) - Sunday, April 25, 2021 (EPISODE:295)

Fourth Sunday of Easter. Year B – (ANZAC DAY in Australia and New Zealand) - Sunday, April 25, 2021
(EPISODE: 295)

Readings for Fourth Sunday of Easter. Year B
FIRST READING: Acts 4:8-12
Ps 118:1+8-9, 21-23, 26+21+29. "The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone."
SECOND READING: 1 John 3:1-2
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 10:14). Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord. I know my sheep and mine know me.
GOSPEL: John 10:11-18

Shutterstock licensed image ID:1688640952. An ancient statue of Jesus Christ Good Shepherd with the lost sheep on his shoulders. Biblical tradition, religion, Christianity, God, faith concept. Zwiebackesser
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Year B - Sunday, April 25, 2021, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/easter-4b-2021-ep-295  (EPISODE: 295)
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**Prologue – Fr Paul 
Today marks the 106^th Anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers at Gallipoli, in 1915, during World War I. This national day of remembrance honours the courage and the self-sacrifice of those who served in all wars, conflicts and peace-keeping operations. We particularly recognise the sacrifice of the fallen. We commend them to God's eternal care... and we also fervently pray that the justice and peace, which they sought to defend and preserve will dwell richly in our land and in our world in the hearts of all.
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Today, we remember the sacrifices, the bravery and the loss of those who served, suffered and died in the time of war.  The emotion and the significance of these events in no way lessen with the passage of time…
  
In all wars and military operations, including peacekeeping operations…  Australia has, in total lost 102,930 - and that's an increase of 85 human lives lost in the last six years.   With 226,060, injured (another 187 added in the last six years),  and 34,733 taken as prisoners of war (an addition of three.. which although thankfully low, is bad enough).  And surely 100% of those who served and returned have been profoundly affected in ways that one could hardly put into words….      The sheer size of these numbers  (let alone the human effects behind it- and countless more lives which were changed forever – loved ones and friends and the community too… suffering their tragic loss and remembering their bravery and dedication -  it is really impossible to fully comprehend…    Just this last week the government has launched a royal commission to look into the huge issue of returned veterans suicide…  another reminder of the untold cost for those who returned alive, after upholding their loyal duty..so profoundly. Our prayers and hearts are with them all. 

We hear from the Lord's own lips, "No one has greater love, says the Lord, than those who lay down their lives for their friends, "  and today we commemorate the ultimate sacrifice of those who served in times of war…  and those who risked life and limb for those they loved…..

As disciples of Jesus….  We are not trying to merely imitate God's actions, (as commendable as this would be),… nor are we merely trying to do what God, in Jesus, did, (as far as any human being could try to imitate our God made flesh)---    but rather…  we are ultimately striving to become more connected to what motivated Our Lord to act as he did. The reason and cause of all his actions and words…  which (at its core and centre)  is his identity as God – and God's nature as infinite love… ….To become instruments of God's love, ………………servants of God's love…  and to become the love of God inside and out…


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 good one – the best, in fact). God is love.
Today, 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. 

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

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 discipleship and vocation …   to love like God. If we LOVE as God does.. then all other things flow from it.

Jesus offers healing for us every day - in so many different ways. (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). 

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 – which never ceases to give of itself…   at its very centre)….


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Homily – Fr Peter Dillon:

4th Sun Easter B 2021

There are very few of us who would not be familiar with the 23^rd Psalm beginning with the words " The Lord is my shepherd" we find that it brings us great comfort, particularly at funerals, when we feel most in need of the protecting and comforting presence of God. Even though we have very little experience of shepherds in the modern world, we cannot forget the security that comes each time we the consoling words of the Psalm.

The Gospel of Luke tells us of the lost sheep and the shepherd who leaves the 99 to seek out and save the lost one.
Where I grew up, graziers had an expression. They were going into town to 'buy a few sheep'. A few sheep always meant a few hundred or a few thousand sheep. I grew up with the familiar sight of the unknown, abandoned, dead, fly-blown sheep rotting in dry paddocks. A completely different context from the one in which Jesus introduces the concept of the shepherd who knows his sheep, who lays down his life for his sheep, whose sheep recognise his voice.
 The shepherd of Jesus's time cared for a few dozen sheep, lived with them, talked to them, sang to them, played the pipes to them, and protected them personally from the wolf.
We think of the utter foolishness of that rescue mission. We have a God of unthinking passion. Not dictated to by common sense. Why take the risk of losing even more sheep? Surely losing one is bearable compared to the 99 others.

Jesus speaks of himself as the door to the sheepfold, who physically lay across the entrance to the sheep pen to protect the sheep, who lay down his life for his sheep. No hireling - the shepherd who will never abandon us. Today's gospel adds a further intimate touch. The shepherd who knows the sheep by name. A personal relationship with the Shepherd.  Who knows us anymore? We are the numbers on our credit cards and cheque books. In the concentration camps, people had numbers tattooed on their arms. Prisoners were no longer people but numbers in a series. It is easier to erase numbers than to kill people. An old saying: 'Don't count the sheep out loud'. As soon as you make the sheep an abstraction and a number on your computer, they are no longer unique, important, they will not thrive.

There is a story of an old farmer's problem: The neighbour's dogs were killing his sheep, so he thought he had three options - He could sue his neighbour for damages but that might be too costly and bad for future relations. He could build a stronger and higher fence, but that too would be costly and may not be effective. The solution he eventually decided on was to give the neighbour's children two lambs as pets. Suddenly the sheep were just not an impersonal herd, but warm fuzzy animals with individual pet names. The neighbours soon had their dogs under control.

A truer story is that of Joseph Abdiah, who founded the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel. Some years ago in an Arab village, he was surrounded by an angry crowd who began to shout, "We are going to kill you".
 "Why"? he asks.

 "Because we have orders. You are a Jew and we are Arabs. Our leaders have told us to kill any Jews we meet".

"Well, how are you going to kill me?"

 "We'll throw you down that well over there". He slowly walked towards the well with great dignity. Suddenly their mood began to change. They did not see a faceless enemy, but an old man walking to his death. They hesitated, had a discussion. Announced, 'We hereby declare you to be a Muslim", and they changed his name! He became a person, not an enemy. They had feelings and emotions, not just an ideology.                 

I am the good shepherd... I know my sheep and mine know me... And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well. They too will listen to my voice...

  We still portray the 'Good Shepherd' as a man carrying a lamb on his shoulders
  To really have any meaning for us, we have to radically re-interpret this Good Shepherd image.

 The point of knowing is more than merely recognising the external features. It is a whole sense of belonging - being part of. Those who belong to Christ recognise his voice because they live the same life. It is listening to the voice of the one who is calling, allowing his voice to reach us and touch our hearts, basic to the ability to recognise is opening of our hearts to listen.

Called to belong to this flock are all persons who have begun an adventure with Jesus, calls for enormous mutual trust and love. It is the kind of love that requires one to forego material distractions and to die to selfish ambitions so that the loved one can live. No one is ever called to stand alone but called to be part of one flock, one community.

  We are really called to make a journey of love and sacrifice, more and more able to recognise the voice of our Lord as he speaks, as he moves among those he loves. We are called to ignore the voices that call us to success at any cost, and ambition that that excludes the needs of others. He is the gathering force among us, he is here as we gather, in our homes as we learn to love, in our work as we learn to serve.

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References:

(A) MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT'S HOMILY. Abbot Philip, OSB

Inaugural Speech to Clergy of Brisbane by Archbishop-elect of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge,  (2012) – taken from notes by Paul Kelly.

Fr Paul W. Kelly

Shutterstock licensed image ID:1688640952. An ancient statue of Jesus Christ Good Shepherd with the lost sheep on his shoulders. Biblical tradition, religion, Christianity, God, faith concept. Zwiebackesser


Fourth Sunday of Easter. Year B  (Sunday, April 25, 2021)  (EPISODE: 295 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{May God's Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude abide in you. }}

On this special day of Easter, which here in Australia is also the Commemoration of Anzac day, we know that our God's love and mercy have no bounds, and so let us recall our sins so as to worthily celebrate this Holy Sacrifice.  

• Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy

• You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy

• You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: Lord have mercy

 

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.

 

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

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Let us pray for peace in our world, and in our hearts and homes. Lord Hear Us. Let us pray for all the servicemen and women, who served our nation with bravery and honour. Lord Hear Us.
 
Let us pray for those men and women who died in the time of war, defending the freedom and people they loved. Lord Hear Us.
 
Let us pray for all those who have been injured or in any way physically or emotionally affected by war. Lord Hear Us.
 
Let us pray for those who presently serve in armed forces, that they may be protected and strengthened. Lord Hear Us.
Let us pray for everyone separated and physically isolated in this time of the pandemic. That we will experience a deep sense of unity with God and with one another.   Lord Hear Us.
 
Let us pray that the ANZAC spirit of self-sacrifice, bravery and support may always live in the memories and hearts of all Australians. Lord Hear Us.

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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: Easter III
EP II
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Each year on this day Australians observe Anzac Day, in memory of those who served, suffered and died in all wars and armed conflicts.

 

We pause to listen to the recitation of "the Ode," then "The Last Post," followed by one minute's silence, and concluded by the "Rouse."

 

{They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them!}.

(people respond): We will remember them.

 

Last Post

 

(One Minute Silence)

Rouse

leader: 'Lest we forget."

R/ 'Lest we forget."

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{I am very grateful for you joining in, at this special time of prayer and reflection. }

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.  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.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha 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.

[ Production -  KER -  2021]
May God bless and keep you.
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