Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year. -Year B - Sunday, 13 October 2024 (EPISODE:500)
Readings for Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year.- Year B
FIRST READING: Wis 7:7-11
Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17. "Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!"
SECOND READING: Heb 4:12-13
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 5:3). Alleluia, alleluia! Happy the poor in Spirit; The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
GOSPEL: Mark 10:17-30 or 10:17-27
Image Credit- https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/wUuTIqSkjlooLojnwCtO?ru=Paul-Evangelion ++++
Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year. Year B - Sunday, 13 October 2024 - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-28th-sunday-ordinary-time-year-b-episode-500/s-J8ZqaXDm03o (EPISODE:500 )
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Hello, I'm Father Paul Kelly… - the podcast of the liturgy for the Sundays of the year…Faith, hope, and love. (EPISODE: 1)- was first recorded exactly eight years ago this month on the 7th of October 2016 - (with a healthy lead time for the broadcast deadline on the 6th of November that same year… and today we reach the blessed milestone of episode 500.
I am astounded… and delighted! Also, I absolutely love recording these podcasts of the Mass, and making it available for all who are unable to be with us at mass – and are with us in prayer and in spirit- and also for those who do join us at mass but also want to re-listen (or pre-listen) and reflect upon the prayers and readings of the mass for the current week…(again or several times) I myself love listening to these readings and prayers as I drive around in my car…
I have been learning and upgrading and constantly attempting to improve
my audio skills and the quality of the sound – as revealed by this snippet of the very first episode… (at the time, I thought his sound quality was fantastic, but it's barely listenable 8 years later. (the bell tone in this original episode is too high pitched but it took a listener to let me know that it was irritating and then I noticed it and changed it…it took the terrible time of covid, and listeners requesting the addition of the eucharistic prayers and this has been a joy to pray too… - Thanks be to God for his guidance and inspirations (and all who help with this beautiful work), and of course thanks be to the Lord for his living word which is more precious than anything else….and a joy on the tongue and to the ears and heart… Here is a clip from episode one… (please note – my archival variable quality warning)
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And now- eight years later…always keeping in mind and in heartfelt prayer those who join us from their homes, their care homes, their travels and even their cars or their morning walks…..and from hospital rooms and so many other places…. here is episode 500…. God bless you and keep you all…
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* (Prologue: Fr Paul Kelly)
According to the psalm this weekend, wisdom comes from knowing how relatively short life really is. That is, we gain wisdom when we deeply appreciate the utter preciousness and fragility of this life. Because life is short and vulnerable, the things that really matter, (the things that are of abiding value), become so important to discern….
The things that last are love, (self-sacrificing, unselfish love); and our connection to Jesus and his gospel values….
Attachment to worldly things, to possessions and money, is an enormous obstacle. Of infinitely more value and importance would be spending all our time and energy in searching the depths of God's wisdom and deepening our appreciation of God's ways. This is our lasting treasure.
The second reading tells us that the Word of God is not just a series of letters and words on a page…. Rather; it is ALIVE and ACTIVE!
God's word gets right into our souls and penetrates our lives. God's word challenges us to weigh up our values, our attitudes and actions.
If the word is NOT doing that, if it is always just comfortable and easy and never unsettling, then we need to be wary. A comfortable Word of God may actually be a "neutralized Word of God" or a "watered-down" word of God. The extent to which we humans can make up excuses and self-justifications for our self-serving ways, cannot be underestimated. It needs to be carefully guarded against. The fullness of God's word searches out and reveals our self-deceptions.
In John's Gospel, it goes even further….
The WORD of God is Jesus. Jesus is the "eternal word of the Father"…. And we know that "the WORD became flesh and lived among us…."
So, as disciples, we must allow the Word of God to become alive in our hearts and minds and to radically transform us.
I think of Mary, the Mother of God…. I have mentioned before that Michelangelo did a painting once of Mary, at the Annunciation, being told that she will conceive and bear a son…. Mary says "Yes" to this….
In the painting, there is an unusual image: there is an old-fashioned "hearing-horn," at Mary's ear, like the ones people used to use to help them hear, (in times long before electronic hearing aids). This image is Michelangelo's way of symbolizing that Our Lady conceived the word of God by listening to God's message and accepting it…Taking it into herself. "Mary conceived the word of God, by hearing and listening!" Mary brought the word of God to flesh literally in her life… We must hear God's word, spiritually conceive of it and allow God's word to become incarnate in our lives through our acceptance and action in our lives….
In the Gospel, the rich young man is basically very good…. He has faithfully kept all the laws and commandments of God…..
(In Jesus' time there were a group of people who believed it is possible for a person to be entirely perfect in this life by actually keeping every little rule, commandment and instruction). Jesus loved what he saw as he looked into the sincerity in this man's heart. He saw the desire for his faithful observance of God's commandments. But Our Lord saw one big obstacle: the man's attachment to his worldly goods was getting in the way of him trusting entirely on God's providence and grace. Jesus looked steadily at the man and saw right into his heart and his challenge came straight from his loving heart when he said to the rich man: You need to let go, so as to be fully synchronised with God's ways. You must allow yourself to be utterly dependent on God alone…. Then you will be perfect!
This was too hard for the man… and he went away very sad. He was unable to be perfect because he was letting other things get in the way of his relationship with God….
Then Jesus says the comment about the "camel and the needle." Notice how generations have tried to water this passage down because it is just a bit too challenging. However, we remember that God's word is a finely tuned sword and it will not be blunted! Jesus words were intended to shock and the disciples' reaction indicates that his words hit their mark! Some have tried to suggest that the eye of a needle is the name given to some kind of large door that people pass through; but no. Jesus meant what he said: This exaggeration is meant to mean what it says - It is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a pin, than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom. The disciples are obviously astounded by this because they reply in shock: "well then, who can be saved?????"
Jesus answers that 'nothing is impossible for God.' Trust in God's providence allows people to let go of attachments or anything else that gets in the way of their following God. Trust in God's care, not simply on our own limited human willpower.
Jesus, by asking the man to let go of possessions, was really saying: It is not good enough to have the right personal attitudes. We need to go to the very core of injustice and detach ourselves from it. Possessiveness is found at the root of much that is wrong in society, including the desire to accumulate possessions, money, and prestige at the expense of others…
The rich man could have given all sorts of reasons why he needed to keep his attachments…. Security, or "it could be used to help him to do good"… etc…. but in front of JESUS, who is THE WORD, (who cuts more finely between the bone and the marrow), these excuses would surely have seemed weak and ineffective. The rich man turns and walks away from Jesus. Perhaps he will think about this and return later, after having thought better of what he was leaving behind. We certainly hope so.
The fact is, following Jesus' Way, takes everything we've got. The Way of God is not easy. There are significant challenges in following Christ, and if we have anything (any possession or attachment) that is possibly more important to us than Christ and his gospel, then it could very well come between us at some point of crisis when we have to make a choice or a decision. If we are detached from all things, then we will truly be free to let go of these earthly attachments, if it comes down to a choice between them and Christ's ways. We simply cannot allow our earthly attachments to be used against us in the all-out fight for the establishment of the Kingdom and its values. We cannot be baulked in times of trial if we have released our grip on possessions. Jesus gives us strength and the grace for the hard task of being 'unbound' from anything that keeps us from the fullness of God's life-giving WORD. He encourages us by saying, anyone who gives up these things will gain everything that truly lasts and will win EVERYTHING that really matters.
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References:
2009 – A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS.
Liebert, R. (1983). Michelangelo, a psychoanalytic study of his life and images. New Haven: Yale University Press.
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed.
Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year. Year B -(Sunday, 13 October 2024) (EPISODE:500 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{Peace and Goodness to you all}} welcome everyone, we gather - Praise, Worship of God On this Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year.
Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to the Father and to one another: Lord, have mercy You heal the wounds of our sin and division: Christ, have mercy You intercede for us with the Father: Lord, have mercy
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17. "Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!"
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 5:3). ). Alleluia, alleluia! Happy the poor in Spirit; The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
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PREFACE: Ordinary 8
Eucharistic Prayer various 2
(theme variation: theme 2 )
(post version: v2-long)
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{16. I pray this week brings you an ever deeper experience of Our Lord's compassion and love}
2. 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 the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
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Details 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 (1942-2017) - 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: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser. And (2024+) Rode Nt-1 + AI-1 Sound Mixer.
Editing equipment: -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)
Text transcription as per recorded podcast version is transcribed by TurboScribe.ai
{excellent and accurate transcription from voice to text}
[Production - KER - 2024]
May God bless and keep you.
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