Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish - Weekly Parish Mass - podcast of Eucharist, including readings, prayers, homily)
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 4, 2022 (EPISODE- 381)
Greetings from Surfers Catholic parish!
Please find linked below the latest edition of the Parish weekly Homily and link to the (audio) podcast of the mass, especially produced for those who are unable to be with us at mass.
https://on.soundcloud.com/ZgBX
Many thanks,
The Parish Team
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 4, 2022 (EPISODE- 381)
Readings for Sunday, September 4, 2022 - Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
FIRST READING: Wis 9:13-18
Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14+17. "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge"
SECOND READING: Phlm 9b-10, 12-17
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 14:25-33). Alleluia, alleluia! Let your face shine on your servant. And teach me your laws.
GOSPEL: Luke 14:25-33
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 223987429 - TRNAVA, SLOVAKIA - OCTOBER 14, 2014: The neo-gothic fresco of four evangelists (Mark, Luke, Matthew, John) by Leopold Bruckner (1905 - 1906) in Saint Nicholas church. Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers, and homily), for Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 4, 2022, by clicking this link here: https://on.soundcloud.com/ZgBX (EPISODE- 381)
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HAPPY FATHERS DAY
This weekend, the first Sunday of September, we give thanks to all Fathers; for their love, care, and generosity. We pray that God grants them joy in their family and friends, health, and strength.
Also, for all fathers who have passed into eternal life. May God give them a permanent place at the heavenly feast; the reward for all their goodness and kindness. Happy Father's Day to all our Dads in the community. May God bless you and grant you peace and joy.
To become a full disciple of Christ comes at a considerable cost. Being a fully-fledged follower of Christ means accepting a value system often at odds with other values. This can lead to us being ridiculed and ostracised - throughout history, it has led to people losing their friends, family members, reputation, position in society, and even their lives... The cost is worth it, but our Lord wants us to know that the values of The Kingdom of God will turn on its head, many values of the world... Those benefitting from keeping things as they always were will not surrender their position and privilege. Our Lord doesn't desire divisions, but he warns us there are no fence-sitters in the Kingdom of God. We have to jump in wholeheartedly and be prepared for the opposition. which will not fight fair. Sadly, those who oppose Christ's values oppose his vision of true justice, compassion, inclusion, love, and peace.
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Why would Jesus counsel his followers to "hate" their families or lives? Again, it seems contrary to the consistent message of love, inclusion, mercy, and graciousness that Our Lord has been proclaiming throughout his ministry.
(Barclay)…. "When Jesus made this declaration, he was on the road to Jerusalem. He knew he was on his way to surrender everything for us all... / to suffer and die on the cross; the crowds with him thought he was on his way to an empire. No wonder he turned around and spoke so clearly and bluntly to them in this way.... //
In the most vivid way possible, he told them that anyone who wanted to follow him was not on the road to worldly power and glory, but rather: they must be ready for the loyalty which would sacrifice the dearest things in life and ready for suffering which would be like the agony of a man upon a cross (and for Christ himself - and some of his closest disciples it was literally to be such agony).
But we must understand his words as intended ... and with all the nuance of the Eastern language, it was spoken...which is always as vivid as the human mind can make it. When Jesus tells us to "hate" our nearest and dearest, he does not mean that literally. He means that no love in life can compare with the love we must bear to GOD. Christ knew if anyone who followed him had him in second priority or lower, then when the first of many challenges, threats and suffering came along, these people would fall away swiftly...
So, this passage teaches us that:
(i) It is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple; to follow the army (so to speak) wherever it went, without being a soldier of the Monarch; to be a hanger-on in some great work without pulling one's weight.
There is a modern-day story where a person talked to a great scholar about another person name-dropping his connection with that scholar. "So-and-so tells me that he was one of your students." The great scholar replied, "He may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students." It is the same with the Christian church --- there are so many distant followers of Jesus, but how many are real disciples?
(ii) A Christian's first duty is to count the cost of following Christ.
But if the high demands of Christ daunt us, let us remember that we are not left to fulfill this task alone. Christ who called us to this steep path will walk with us every step of the way and be there at the end to meet us."##
Our Lord's constant practical example and his wider teachings show us that we must love and cherish our family and loyally keep our commitments and our duties that we owe to our parents and family… / Our Lord saved one of his most stinging criticisms for people who used religious excuses to justify neglecting their duty to their parents and family. / So, when Our Lord says in the Gospel that we should 'hate our lives or families"…. The actual point of Jesus' message today is not to reject or abandon the bonds of the family... the ties of blood... but to WIDEN our vision of FAMILY… ( ……)….
So, Jesus is telling his disciples that HIS definition of "family" includes not only our traditional ties of "blood relations"…… but also to include all who follow Jesus and act on his word/ all who hold the values of the Kingdom, and all people…….. (which he means to be taken seriously).
Also, we DO know that Jesus had a deep respect and love for his family, both his earthly family and His Heavenly Father. So, faithfulness to Christ and love and respect for our family need not be any kind of contradiction. Hopefully, our faith, values, and relationship with our family and friends will be mutually consistent and supportive. But, if there has to be a choice between following God and remaining a part of our loving family, something must have gone awry in that family. Jesus is asking here, "You've got to be in this 'discipleship thing' 100 percent! Half measures will never do. ………. Being the Body of Christ makes us complete sharers in the life of Jesus! And Jesus was never known to do things half measures.
There may very well be a bit of "hating" at the time of Christ's ministry, though the hating was not by Jesus or his followers. Rather, some people hated Jesus' message; wanted to destroy him and his message, and persecute his disciples - precisely because they are seen to be welcoming outsiders and strangers into the "family-fold" whom they think should not be there… // Unintended (but very real) conflict and loss will be suffered because of choosing to follow Jesus; because people are included in Jesus' plan who others think should be left out. Hatred and persecution will come from those who are very comfortable with things. Because they are doing very well, thanks, while others are doing very badly. A change in this situation will be detrimental to them and helpful to everyone else. And they will not stand for it.
The plain truth is: Our goal is not merely to be a good person and avoid doing wrong. …… Being a disciple of Jesus is the goal. Discipleship is an expensive proposition. It costs everything we have. (Jesus needs us to give all we have in energy and time). Why is the price so high? Because the stakes are just as high. And his Kingdom is filled with the wonderful values and virtues that are worth fighting for and are life-giving and lasting.
Christ is asking us to put our lives, energy and resources into the service of his plan for building up the Kingdom of God and its radically transforming values.
Jesus knows that following him will lead to tensions and pain…. Not because he wants us to reject family but because his message INCLUDES more people in the family than others (under the old system) can cope with…. IN Our Lord's Kingdom… water is thicker than blood…. (the water of baptism, that is) ….
In the Kingdom…the waters of Baptism bind us more closely and are infinitely more important than even the utterly-deep ties of family …. And so this turns the whole system on its head…. //. If people everywhere extended to all those we meet that same love, loyalty, and unconditional bond of generosity that we share with people who are related to us, … what a different world it would be… and it would be a world ever-closer to the Vision of Christ's Kingdom.
We see an example of this transformation perfectly illustrated. Saint Paul… a true and inspiring disciple of Christ… speaks about a fellow Christian; a runaway slave … who has become like a son to him because he is a fellow disciple in Christ…. Paul writes to another disciple and begs him to accept his runaway slave not as a slave anymore but as a brother…. this is consistent with Jesus' gospel…. there is a considerable change in our lives and relationships when we become true disciples of Christ…. Things change quite dramatically… old values and old ways of doing things. END…… and old advantages and arrangements are changed forever… the owner of that slave has paid a big price for becoming a Christian… he has lost his slave; who is now a free person… because in Christ there is no distinction between slave and free.. we are all free…
Whatever happened to Onesimus... was he freed as Paul requested?... Let us move on about fifty years. Saint Ignatius, one of the great Christian martyrs, is being taken to execution from Antioch to Rome. As he goes, he writes letters--which still survive--to the Churches of Asia Minor. He stops at Smyrna and writes to the Church at Ephesus, and in the first chapter of that letter, he has much to say about their wonderful bishop. And what is the bishop's name? It is Onesimus, and Ignatius makes the same pun as Paul made--he is Onesimus by name and Onesimus by nature (a word which means "profitable" - he is the "profitable or useful" one to Christ. It may well be that the runaway slave had become Ephesus's great bishop with the passing years. ^^
How wonderful are God's ways! well worth staying on this difficult path.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
## Barclay, William. 1975. The Daily Study Bible – Luke's Gospel. Edinburgh: St Andrew Press; ^^Barclay, William. 1975. The Letters Of Timothy, Titus And Philemon. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press;
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 223987429 - TRNAVA, SLOVAKIA - OCTOBER 14, 2014: The neo-gothic fresco of four evangelists (Mark, Luke, Matthew, John) by Leopold Bruckner (1905 - 1906) in Saint Nicholas church. Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C (Sunday, September 4, 2022) (EPISODE- 381)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{Shalom (peace)}} welcome everyone, we gather - Reflect upon the Holy Scriptures and the values of the Lord.
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.
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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Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14+17. "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge"
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 14:25-33). Alleluia, alleluia! Let your face shine on your servant. And teach me your laws.
the Lord be with you'
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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.
PREFACE: Sundays III
EP II
(theme variation: full)
(pre+post variation: v1-long)
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{my heartfelt thanks for your participation in this time of reflection, prayer and praise.}
Father's Day blessing -
God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. With give thanks for and ask you to Bless all Fathers. Grant them the wisdom and love to always be good fathers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honour them always with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
And may almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.
Dismissal: +
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: 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, 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.
Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: RODE NT-USB MINI
Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor
[Production - KER - 2022]
May God bless and keep you.
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[ Production - KER - 2022]
May God bless and keep you.
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