Our Lady Help of Christians. (Solemnity in Australia - Patron Saint), May 24th, 2021 (episode: 300)

Our Lady Help of Christians. May 24th, 2021 (episode: 300)

Our Lady Help Of Christians - May 25^th - (Episode: 300)

Mass of the Solemnity, Gloria, Creed

Preface of the Blessed Virgin Mary I

 

Readings:  
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

**Ps 112:1-8 R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.

James 3:13-18; 

**Alleluia, alleluia! Happy are you, O blessed Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr's crown beside the cross of the Lord. Alleluia!

Lk 1:39-56

**(please note our apologies that the Psalm and Alleluia Verse is not as recommended in the Ordo for year B. This was an error that was detected too late for editing).

 

 

Image Credit: 290438420 -TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - MARCH 2, 2015: The Icon of black Madonna from st. Peters church in old Jaffa by an unknown artist from end of 19. cent.- By Renata Sedmakova

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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Solemnity in Australia of Our Lady- Help of Christians. By clicking this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/our-lady-help-of-christians-2021-episode-300/s-P6sAIyy7ZMZ   

(Faith Hope and Love, Podcast (2016-  ) with Fr Paul Kelly- Episode 300).

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
{{Kindness and grace to you all}}

On this special (feast of) Our Lady Help Of Christians
My brothers and sisters, trusting in Gods mercy and love let us call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, you affirm Mary, as the mother of Mercy. Lord have mercy.
You honour her as the mother of good counsel. Christ have mercy.
You present her to us as Help of all Christians. 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:  Preface I of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  
Euch.Prayer:  II

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Dismissal:
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
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Prologue: The Virgin Mary has often been invoked in times of religious strife under the title of Help of Christians. In thanksgiving for the release of Pope Pius VII from captivity in 1814, the feast was established the following year on the anniversary of his restoration. The first Australian provincial synod held in Sydney in 1844 placed the Church in Australia under Mary's patronage invoked by the title Help of Christians. The solemn feast is an occasion to seek Mary's help and protection for our Church and nation.

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HOMILY:
MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS HOMILY

There are two inscriptions from the first centuries of Christianity in Greek related to the Virgin Mary: θεοτοκος, (Teotokos, Theotokos, Mother of God) and βοηθεια (Boetheia, the Helper). SO Help of Christians is one of the very earliest of titles for Mary.

Asking for the intercession of Mary as Help of Christians is part of the oldest prayer addressed directly to Mary, the Sub tuum praesidium, which was found on a papyrus dating, at the latest, from the end of the 3rd century. 

Saint John Chrysostom used this Marian title in year 345 as a devotion to the Virgin Mary. 

Saint Don Bosco also strongly and fruitfully promoted Marian devotion under this title throughout his order which became a world-wide ministry….

How fitting, when we see Mary's life portrayed in the gospels…  what a perfect intercessor, who knows all too well hardship and suffering.
Her trust, humility and complete faith in God as she said yes to what God was asking of her in her life.
The arduous journey to visit and care for her cousin Elizabeth
Her journey as a refugee with Joseph and Our Lord.. to Egypt..
Her pain at losing Jesus in the temple for three days..  when he was twelve.. and her pondering all these things in her heart..
He disciple and mother of Christ..  equally.
The sword of sorrow that pierced her heart through her life
Her trust in and intercession to her son at the wedding in cana…  concerned for the good of her hosts….
Her discipleship
Her faithfulness at the foot of the cross…  bearing the indescribable pain of her son's suffering and death.
Her presence in prayer and faith with the apostles at Pentecost.

The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary, and strong devotion to Mary, in those early days that kept the faith alive.

Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.

Mary Help of Christians both intercedes for us and inspires us in these trying times.

Also, even to this day, Australia is highly secularized and still we see signs at times of a concerning and deep anti-Catholic sentiment, that comes bursting out at unexpected times and in unfortunate ways….   . We need to invoke Help of Christians  to pray for and ask the Lord to transform any hardened hearts, headstrong… hearts and minds.

St Mary's Cathedral was dedicated in her honour by the Irish pioneer priest, Fr John Therry, who arrived in Sydney in 1820 and assumed responsibility for the planning and initial construction of the Cathedral.
When Australia became the first country to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title.

The statue of Mary, Help of Christians, stands in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart in the Cathedral.

The Church has traditionally focused on two aspects of Our Lady's help on this feast day.

Firstly, upon the role of Our Lady's intercession in the fight against sin in the life of a believer.

Secondly, Our Lady is one who assists Christians as a community, through her intercession, in fighting against anti-Christian values and principles.

In the Opening Prayer for Our Lady Help of Christians, we rightly (and in heartfelt determination), prayed that through Our Lady's intercession God will "grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens", so that "under her protection Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace". This is longed for and treasured more than ever before.

Mary Help of Christians is not only the patroness of Australia but also the Australian Military Ordinariate

And the following prayer is quite fitting…. 

Almighty God, deepen in our hearts
our love of Mary Help of Christians.
Through her prayers and under her protection,
may the light of Christ shine over our land.
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.
Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.
Bless especially the men and women
of the Australian Defence Force and their families.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly

From- Catholic Weekly 2012:  https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/24-may-our-lady-help-of-christians/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Help_of_Christians
Gabriel Chow   in https://sacrosancta.blogspot.com/2019/06/australia-and-our-lady-help-of-christians.html

Image Credit: 290438420 -TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - MARCH 2, 2015: The Icon of black Madonna from st. Peters church in old Jaffa by unknown artist from end of 19. cent.- By Renata Sedmakova
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
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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.

Hymn – "Rainfall – Mother of  Mercy." Music by Paul W. Kelly. 1994, 2021. Words adapted by Paul W. Kelly, based on the Traditional Salve Regina Hymn. Arranged & with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2021. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

Marian Hymn -   "Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae." (Traditional 11^th Century). Melody: Mainz (1712), Hymn #783 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/

[ Production - KER - 2021]

May God bless and keep you.

 

Pentecost Sunday. Year B - Sunday, May 23, 2021 (EPISODE: 299)

Pentecost Sunday. Year B - Sunday, May 23, 2021
(EPISODE: 299)

Readings for Pentecost Sunday. Year B
FIRST READING: Acts 2: 1-11
Ps 104: 1+24, 29-30, 31+34. "Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth."
SECOND READING: Gal 5: 16-25
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (no bibl. ref). Alleluia, alleluia! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love.
GOSPEL: John 15: 26-27; 16: 12-15

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed - stock photo ID783792871 -Bayeux, France - February 12, 2013: Stained Glass window depicting Pentecost, in Bayeux Cathedral, Calvados, France. - By jorisvo
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Pentecost Sunday. Year B - Sunday, May 23, 2021, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/pentecost-sunday-year-b-2021-episode-299  
(EPISODE: 299)
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* (Prologue:  Fr Paul Kelly)

Today's feast day of Pentecost is, in many ways, a birthday celebration.  With the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, on that first Pentecost Sunday, Christ's church was born.  And, as the readings this weekend tell us, we become beloved sons and daughters of God, and heirs to God's kingdom. We have been given the freedom of the children of God.  But the second reading supplies an essential 'qualifier' (lest we get too proud and indulgent), that this freedom is given to us in order that we too can live as Christ did. So we are reminded that Pentecost and our membership of God's family is never meant to be self-serving or indulgent, but all about service, sacrifice and self-forgetting love.
 
"If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious… What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16-26)
 
The Gospel this weekend also reminds us that the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the lives of the church, will always work to remind us of all that Christ did and said, and keep us close to Christ and his values. The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of Truth." All who live by the Spirit, strive to live authentic, honest, integrated lives built on truth. 
 
The Gospel today, from Saint John, tells us that Jesus gives his followers the peace they need, because that is the first greeting of the Lord to them:  Peace be with you!  May we (too) know the peace of Jesus in our own lives!  With peace comes the capacity to forgive the sins of others.  This forgiveness is clearly a gift of the Lord who loves us.  This gift is given to each of us individually and also to the Church, through its ministry.
 
At the heart of our Christian life, fear is taken away, peace and forgiveness are given.  May we dispel the fears of others and proclaim the peace and forgiveness given to us in Jesus.
 
In the first reading too, the disciples were not yet able to go out and speak publicly and to proclaim Jesus to others, even though they now knew he was Risen and Ascended to the Heavenly Father.  They had to wait for the Holy Spirit to take hold of them and give them courage in the face of doubt, persecution, ridicule and rejection.  Perhaps at times we too may be shy about proclaiming our faith in the Lord Jesus.  Perhaps today we can pray for this Spirit to come on us and to give us courage so that our faith becomes so much a part of ourselves that it is so natural and easy to speak of our faith, in an unforced manner.
 
Our gifts are different, each person having different gifts.  We need all the gifts that each person has so that we can continue the work of Christ in our world.  How different our world looks when we begin to recognize that each person brings his or her own gifts and that we need everyone's gifts to live in the fullness of Jesus Christ.
 
In the 'everyday' and unexceptional, that is also where we encounter and KNOW the Spirit is at work in our lives; especially when the love and sacrifice we show is clearly coming from a loving hand bigger than our own lives and our own limited motives and actions
 
When we do actions that are loving and unselfish, we are deeply aware that there is a power and a loving presence at work in us that is outside of just ourselves. Transcending our limitations … and not explainable by our own actions… but bigger, ……. And "of which we are just a cooperating part…."
 
It is God, …. It is God's Spirit at work in and through us.  At work in the world.   A power of unselfish, sacrificing love and service. Unconditional love. That is at the heart of creation.
 
Finally, after the Spirit descended, people of different languages and cultures could all hear and understand. But what is interesting is that  the people were still not speaking the same language. They were still speaking in the language of those different nationalities and cultures. The miracle is that even though they were speaking different languages, they could miraculously understand each other. They were all proclaiming the same message-  and the same truth. This is a reminder that the Spirit brings not uniformity, but diversity and variety, where we are all "one" in that diversity, because the common language we speak is the language of God… and that language is true and overflowing LOVE…..
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(Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon).
Pentecost Sunday Year B 2021

We sometimes hear that the feast of Pentecost to referred to as the birthday of the Church, which might be true except when the first Pentecost happened there was no church, as least as we know it today.

In fact there was very little that we would recognise as connecting with our modern day understanding of church. There were no cathedrals or chapels, no popes, priests, monks or religious sisters. These did not come into being for many centuries later. In these early days there was no real estate, no bureaucracy, laws or titles.

Of course, once the physical churches were established they became magnificent works of art and architecture, established to let God and his followers how he was to be praised. Throughout the world and across the ages many churches were built and fortunately many of them still stand as a great testimony to the deep faith of those who gathered in them. Yet as magnificent as many of these buildings are they are simply the shell in which the actual church gathers, that is, the people of God, and the faith community.

On this day of Pentecost, which is actually the fiftieth day after Easter, the gathering of the disciples, was probably to celebrate the Jewish feast which celebrated the ancient covenant which God gave to his people through Moses.  In the Acts of the Apostles Luke turns this gathering into a powerful and dramatic event when the Holy Spirit descended on to people, not commissioning structures to be built, but inspiring the disciples to spread the message, and in that sense the church was born.

There was a leader, a blundering fisherman named Peter, who was joined by a small group of very ordinary people, marginal people who were connected by three important things: baptism into Jesus, breaking of bread and a readiness to tell others of what they heard, seen and learned? We know very little about how and where they met, possibly in houses or in secret to avoid the attention of the Roman authorities, but we can assume there was plenty of robust discussion about what was going to be the most effective way of delivering their new message to a sometimes hostile audience.

There was the assumption that each person upon whom the Spirit fell, had gifts to use to spread the message, and that was all they had to start with. Simple people with a variety of gifts, as St. Paul so confidently states: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it". Not necessarily great orators or wealthy merchants, not politicians or law makers, just people who had met and became convinced that Jesus was who he said he was, and that they would be accompanied by the Spirit of God in all their future work.

That was and still is the essence of "church", not that anyone completely understood what each other was trying to say, but that was the real miracle of that first Pentecost. That ordinary people who had spent time hiding and in fear, were now making bold proclamations as the Spirit prompted them.

As Luke tells us, in the quite outstanding reading from Acts, that the Spirit filled these first disciples with words to speak to all these people from unpronounceable places. The various languages are symbols of the many varied ways that we too can use our unique gifts to bring the Gospel alive. The great variety of gifts emerge from the one Spirit in which we were all baptised. Part of our task is to discover how the Spirit has gifted us.

It is not rare to find people not wanting to find out their giftedness or even wanting to display it, since having accepted the gift, it only comes to its fulfilment when shared with the community. It is when we witness to our faith through action that we become the church – at least the community that Christ established. Everything else – the buildings, the Vatican, the encyclicals, while helpful are basically peripheral and incidental to the primary identity of discipleship.

As we gather this Sunday, in a building constructed in modern times, it is good for us to remember we have all that we need to experience what the apostles experienced. We have the simplicity of the Gospels. We are a group of disciples listening to the Word of God, and receiving the broken bread in memory of Jesus, as well as the constant presence of the Holy Spirit who binds us together and helps us to witness Christ in the world.

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References:

Homily – fr peter Dillon

Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly

MISSION 2000  – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR B. BY MARK LINK S.J,

SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.,

KARL RAHNER SJ, (1904-1984), IN BELIEF TODAY, 40-41,

MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT'S HOMILY}
 
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed - stock photo ID783792871 -Bayeux, France - February 12, 2013: Stained Glass window depicting Pentecost, in Bayeux Cathedral, Calvados, France. - By jorisvo


Pentecost Sunday. Year B  (Sunday, May 23, 2021)  (EPISODE: 299 )
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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{{May Our Lord's justice sustain you}} welcome everyone, we gather -  To Pray, listen and reflect upon God and God's Kingdom.

As we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery, let us admit our failings and ask the Lord for pardon and strength. 
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
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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Ps 104: 1+24, 29-30, 31+34. "Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION ((no bibl. ref.)). Alleluia, alleluia! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love.
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PREFACE: Preface of Pentecost
EP III
(theme "Come Holy Spirit Hymn - PWK )

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{heartfelt thanks to you all , for uniting in prayer and for reflection, upon God's overflowing 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 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.

"Come Holy Spirit" Hymn: inspired by the Hymn by the 9th Century Hymn by Rabanus Maurus. Music and lyrics by Paul Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk, 2020. Sound effects by Mark DiAngelo, (soundbible.com, 05.11). https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

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

[ Production -  KER -  2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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The Ascension of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, May 16, 2021 (EPISODE: 298)

The Ascension of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, May 16, 2021
(EPISODE: 298)

Readings for The Ascension of the Lord. Year B

FIRST READING: Acts 1: 1-11
Ps 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9. "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."
SECOND READING: opt: Eph 4: 1-13
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 28: 19a+20b). Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my gospel. I am with you always, until the end of the World.
GOSPEL: Mark 16: 15-20

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licesned - stock photo ID: 1210022299. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The fresco of Ascension of Jesus in side apse of church kostel Svatého Václava by S. G. Rudl (1900).By Renata Sedmakova.
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for The Ascension of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, May 16, 2021, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/easter-ascension-2021-episode-298
(EPISODE: 298)
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* (Prologue:  Fr Paul Kelly)
The Ascension marks the completion of Jesus' earthly and bodily presence on earth…..   Jesus had to return to the Heavenly Father, because his rightful place was with the Father in Heaven, ruling heaven and earth from his place in Heaven…..  He needed to return to his Father so that he could send the Holy Spirit to make his work continue in and through his disciples…..

 

Our Catholic faith is big upon seeing beyond appearances….. to see deeper into things than just the surface….. it is a recurring theme throughout our faith and worship….

 

Jesus tells us, that God judges not by appearances but sees straight into the heart, into the inner dispositions and attitudes of the human person, and knows the truth of each one of us…..  Jesus encouraged us to ensure that our lives, our attitudes, our values and our actions all flowed from our deep inner life, built upon love.   mere outward appearances don't mean a lot in the gospel's scheme of things.  This is a valuable lesson for us, and for the world….in a time and culture where appearances seem to be taken on more of a value than they should…..    sometimes at the cost of inner value…

 

Jesus returned to the Father, and disappeared from our sight, so that we would look for and find the continuing real presence of Jesus, in different forms… that are not so obvious……  If Jesus still walked the earth the same way he did while he was with his disciples, there would be no need for us to look for him elsewhere. But Jesus' mission is to be "ALL IN ALL"…. to be draw all things to himself and to  bring to life God's Kingdom in and through all of creation……  this requires Christ to transform and fill up with his presence … all people and all the world…….. He achieves this with the Holy Spirit, and with the cooperation of his followers who continue his mission.

 

Jesus Christ is not visible in the same way as he was when he walked the earth with his disciples…..  but we believe Jesus is still present and active amongst us in new ways…. and through the power of the Holy Spirit….(which reminds us of all Jesus did and said and makes effective all that we do in Jesus' name). So, we all would become the hands and feet and heart of Jesus in our daily lives……

 

St. Teresa of Avila composed a prayer poem and it is a fitting for today…. 

 

As St Teresa writes….

 

"Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

 

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

 

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

 

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

 

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

 

And we become the body of Christ, by taking in the body of Christ in communion. We receive Our Lord as food and drink, and take in his presence, his grace and his values…. becoming, (with God's grace) more and more like Jesus with every day)…….  

 

The outward appearance of the bread and wine does not change….but its inner reality does….into Christ's presence….  we look and seem the same, but inside, we believe Jesus has made a home in our hearts… and hopefully our actions and attitudes show that living presence within us…

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(Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon).
Ascension Sunday Year B 2021

 

When parents finally get the chance to have their first outing without their children, they have a list of do's and dont's, usually addressed to the oldest child. 'I'm leaving you in charge' and with the expectation that the child will act responsibly, with the strictest rule being, "Don't leave the house". Responsible parents prepare their children for a time when they won't be there at every moment to tell them what to do. They get them ready to stand alone and confidently able to not only deal with life, but get the very best from it.

 

In an odd way this is a similar instruction Jesus gave to those whom were closest to him at the time of his departure from them. The disciples were to "be left in charge" and to take care of each other and then, using the teaching and skills that he had bestowed on them, he gave them a further more demanding instruction, one that we have come to know as the Great Commission. They were to leave the house and go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation: to use their hands to touch and heal, their voices to tell the story of Jesus, to influence and love to bring about Reconciliation in His name.

 

This feast of the Ascension is the pivotal point between the Resurrection and the arrival of the Spirit at Pentecost. It cannot be explained outside this sequence of events, which transformed the apostles, and in turn we are thus empowered to 'go out' to the ends of the earth. A celebration of the change in attitude and experience of the Apostles to their risen lord.

 

Just a brief recap of events over the last few weeks: apostles and Mary had undergone massive shifts in attitudes, and understanding of the 'presence' of the risen Lord, and the meaning of their own mission, without the physical Jesus to guide them. From being drawn together out of fear, they were now 'open' to see and hear the Advocate in their midst. It seems that this very realisation is the one that is being celebrated today. The 'letting go' of the Jesus they knew, and the 'opening out' to the Spirit who would eventually transform them from fear, into boldness, joy and love.

 

The human elements of sadness at the departure of Jesus, and the eager waiting for the next surprise from the Father is well known to all of us. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians today, we hear that beautiful prayer from the Church that they will have a 'spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed... May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you... and so on

 

The final part of today's understanding, is the practical fact that there is no point looking up into the air for the Risen Jesus, when he is to be found in and among His people. The temptation that was there for the Apostles, is the same for us... namely, trying to cling on to the illusive Jesus. But he moves on, and this is what came into focus for the Apostles prior to the time of Pentecost. The Promise of Jesus to his closest friends and to the church at large, is that we too, have been invited to abide with the Risen Lord for all time. This is a cause of great joy for the Apostles, who were understandably anxious that they would have to take all the responsibility on their shoulders. Had they listened and learned enough from their leader, to take on what seemed an impossible task? Nevertheless, they took their duties seriously and didn't let adversity and criticism stand in their way. They actually felt the spirit of their risen friend working through them. They were not left to do this all by themselves.

 

This is also a great cause of joy for us, that what we experience here in those moments of 'closeness' to God however we may experience it; hoping in this earthly life that the experience would last forever... we can be sure that the taste we have of eternal life here, is just whetting the appetite for the things to come. However, this is no invitation to rest on our laurels. We have the mission to go out... to be Gospel writers that is, etching into our very identity the things that Jesus has said and done in our own lives, and in the lives of other people. This experience of salvation, makes up the basic element for 'change' in our world, and for the issuing in of the Kingdom of God.

 

But it would seem that for most of us the "great commission' is for everyone else. A simple question remains: does anyone know more about God because they know me? What was God thinking when He chose me to go out and proclaim the Good News?

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References:

Homily – fr peter Dillon

Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly

 

Image Credit: SHutterstock Licesned - stock photo ID: 1210022299. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The fresco of Ascension of Jesus in side apse of church kostel Svatého Václava by S. G. Rudl (1900).By Renata Sedmakova}

The Ascension of the Lord. Year B  (Sunday, May 16, 2021)  (EPISODE: 298 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{May God's Spirit of Fortitude and self control abide with you. }} welcome everyone, we gather -  To take time to reflect upon the meaning of God's word for our everyday lives

Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by recalling our sins and remembering Christ's greater mercy. 
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord, have mercy.// You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy. //You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: 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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Ps 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9. "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 28: 19a+20b). Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my gospel. I am with you always, until the end of the World.
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PREFACE: Ascension I
EP IV
(theme variation: 1 )

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{Bless you all and May God's grace guide you each and every day of this week.}

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

- "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.

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

[ Production -  KER -  2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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