The Baptism of the Lord. Year B. - Sunday, January 10, 2021- (EPISODE: 272)

The Baptism of the Lord. Year B.  - Sunday, January 10, 2021
(EPISODE: 272)

Readings for The Baptism of the Lord. Year B.
FIRST READING:  Isa 55:1-11 
opt: Isa 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6. "You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. "
SECOND READING:  1 John 5:1-9 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. John 1:29). Alleluia, alleluia! John saw Jesus approaching him and said: This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
GOSPEL: Mark 1:7-11

Image - Shutterstock licensed Image: ID:1503704669. Vranov, Slovakia. 2019/8/22. Icon of the Baptism of Christ — Theophany, also called Epiphany. Chapel of the Convent of the Holy Trinity in Lomnica. By Adam Jan Figel.
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for The Baptism of the Lord. Year B.  - Sunday, January 10, 2021 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-baptism-of-the-lord-year-b-episode-272  (EPISODE: 272)
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* Prologue (Fr Paul). WATER is the main symbol of baptism. Water represents washing clean, rebirth and renewal.
 
Water is a perfect symbol, as it contains so many rich and significant meanings: First and foremost, water is an absolutely essential element for life.
 
Water contains so many meanings within itself………  Health and life, danger and threat, renewal and Destruction. When we think of water, we can imagine the sheer force and danger of flood waters, and the power and unexpected force of frozen glaciers.  ALl over the world we have seen the effects of the power of water. Water represents both enormous power and also soothing, renewing, gentleness, as well as cleansign, washing and restoring.
 
Water and baptism.  Baptism is a word that literally means "Plunge," and we believe that Baptism is not just a sign of following Jesus, but that Baptism unites us to Jesus, (grafts us onto him), and makes us one with his life and with the life of all other believers in Jesus. Being baptised, (water poured over us, or plunged into water), is a powerful and wonderful way of showing that by following Jesus we want to 'immerse" or "plunge" ourselves into Jesus' and his way of life.
 
In baptism, we become a beloved and cherished daughter or son of God.  We become adopted and loved children of the same Heavenly Father as Jesus.  God the Father is so generous, so lavish in love and praise, that the gospel today tells us the Father tears the heavens apart and pours down the most wonderful praise and encouragement and confidence and blessing upon his beloved son, Jesus.
 
As one commentator says…. "We are told that God rends the heavens to lavish praise on his son— a son who, up to that point, had yet to accomplish much of anything.  It must have been indescribably affirming and motivating for Jesus as he was about to begin his most challenging and self-emptying ministry. Although Jesus is God made human, he was also fully human…. and in need of encouragement and affirmation and strength from his beloved father… who was in heaven… and who happened to be the father of all things…..   Jesus was now absolutely assured and commissioned in the love and confidence of his heavenly father….that God the father was completely pleased with him." (Patrice J. Tuohy)
 
It is a timely reminder, that it is so important, so human and so affirming to praise one another…….  we live in a culture where it seems easier to voice criticisms…. and it seems that for some, if they are not unhappy with anything it is not so much praise that follows…. but silence…….  so we live in a world where there is either criticism or begrudging silence…….  or else… then we get the other extreme where people compliment others with empty and insincere words…….. that don't connect with the reality of what is happening… and so do very little good…..       others feel that they shouldn't praise others for fear that it might give the other a 'big head' …….  or that the praise may be taken as mere flattery……….  having said that….. there is no substitute for sincere, heartfelt, and constructive affirmation, encouragement and praise…… which is a form of gratefulness to God for the blessings experienced through others….…. naming that which we are grateful for,…..,,,
 
Praise is so important……..  Good managers know this as do teachers, coaches, counsellors, volunteer coordinators, and fundraisers—anyone who is trying to get someone to take the next step, stretch themselves, and constantly strive to reach a higher level of commitment or performance.
 
For people who live without affirmation and who live with constant criticism…. they get the crippling message that nothing they do is never "good enough"….. nothing will really satisfy or meet with approval……   on the other side of the coin, a person who gets false praise…. may either feel that words are empty….. or else they might rely on compliments that don't really give them a good indicator of how they are doing and how it is affecting others. A

 

And then there are those who get good, positive feedback and affirmation…..   even when setbacks and the occasional mistakes or failure come their way, they are not defeated, because they know their value and the strength of their own worth; and persevere through the struggles and beyond….
 
I just want to mention the curious second reading from the first letter of St John. He mentions the rather obscure reference to Jesus being shown to be the Messiah not only by the water but also by the blood. This is a little strange… but what it seems to mean is….  St John was writing this letter at the time when heresy was taking hold in the church communities… some were saying that Jesus was really just an ordinary human and at his baptism, he was adopted by the Father and the Spirit fell upon him… he lived as God's son and then on the cross… the divine spirit left and the mere human remained…. so God did not really suffer or die…. it was just the human who carried the divine spirit in him for a time….  but no… this is not the fullness of our Christian faith…St John reminds us that Jesus suffered and died… and shed real blood upon the cross… so that the true sign that Jesus was the real messiah and the beloved son of God…. Jesus was both truly God and truly human was that he gave his last drop of blood for us… and truly suffered and even gave his life for us…  so not only his baptism in the waters of the river Jordan… shows us his identity… but also his suffering and death….   Baptism and the cross are essential and undivided elements of the perfect messiah… the two cannot be separated….. and there is, in baptism, always an element of dying and rising – united always with Christ. 

(Fr Paul)

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Fr Peter Dillon – Homily: 

During this year our principle guide to the story of Jesus will be the evangelist, Mark. He was one of the first Christians to put into writing his version of the story of Jesus. While the earliest communities still had the apostles with them, they didn't feel the need to record the memory of Jesus in writing, because they believed he was going to return to them very soon. Preserving the memory of Jesus would be a waste of time as there would be nobody around to read it. This all changed some thirty years after the death of Jesus when it became rather important to assemble the traditional stories of Jesus. Mark is the first to do this. In a way, he was the one who invented the Gospels.

There seems to be a great antipathy to formal religion today. People describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. We have all witnessed the alternative religion explosion: meditation groups, new age literature, relaxation techniques, atmospherics, aromatherapy, crystals, eastern spirituality and chants, even Gregorian chant has been cut loose from its liturgical setting and used to produce a mind-altering state.

There is a general consensus that life is about more than just satisfying the need of body and mind. We need to pay attention to our spiritual selves. Some experts see this awareness as an authentic desire for God's spirit. Others read it merely as a post-Christian regression to pagan superstitions.

The gospel today gives us an example of a genuine experience of the Spirit.
Jesus is baptized not as an individual but as part of a  group. People who experience a lack in their lives. He places himself firmly beside those seeking for an experience of God. A desire to know God – to taste his spirit.

This leads those people to seek baptism for the forgiveness of their sins.
Any authentic experience  of the Spirit leads us back to God and into the community. It is neither exclusively individualistic nor completely other-worldly. Of course, it can be intensely personal and religious at the same time. The Spirit of God leads us into unity and solidarity with the rest of humanity.

The Spirit descends on Jesus. God proclaims him his beloved Son. Through the Spirit we can dare to call God our Father and we are gathered into God's family.

Mark begins his Gospel in the desert, where John baptizes and where Jesus will be tested by Satan. The desert is a place at the fringes of social order, neither town nor country. But when John comes preaching repentance the normal order is turned inside out: Mark tells us that all the country of Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem go out to him confessing their sins. So the far away deserted place becomes a centre of life, full of the bustle and noise of human beings clamouring for attention.

The desire to see one man express something true inverts the usual order of things: empty places suddenly become full, and the full empty.

So all of Judaea empties itself into the wilderness to come to John for baptism. Those who come are ready to accept a new life, are open to the gift of repentance and the conversion it requires. In this crowd, pushing and surging forward as the Baptist draws sinners into the water, in this mob of those hungry for forgiveness and healing we find the Saviour, the sinless one, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

This is where we first encounter Jesus in Mark's Gospel. Not as a child wrapped in swaddling clothes or as a refugee fleeing the wrath of Herod, but as a man in a crowd. Jesus lines up with all the sinners on the bank of the Jordan River, waiting his turn to wade into the cooling waters and stand before John.

So the ministry of Jesus begins with the inversion of the social order: the desert becomes a city. It also begins with the complete transformation of the order between God and his people: the holiness of God that provokes awe and terror is to be found among the mass of sinful men and women. The holy of holies, the centre of the Temple where is darkness and silence, which can only be entered once a year was all along pointing forward to our brother Jesus who brings the holiness of God out into the streets.

It is at this moment when Jesus most identifies himself with sinful hungry humanity that the heavens are torn open and the Spirit descends in the form of a dove. The Spirit will fill Jesus throughout his ministry, as he comes to bring health to those who are sick, as he touches the leper bringing him back into the community of Israel, and as he eats with prostitutes and tax collectors.

That which makes Jesus seem so different from us, his being without sin, is really that which makes him identify with us so deeply as to stand in the midst of us. Sin can never be solidarity. It is the fragmenting of the human race, which makes us stand apart from each other in loneliness and suspicion. To have no sin means to love sinners, to want to be with sinners and set them free, to eat and drink and die for sinners through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

This same Spirit will break like flames upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost, sending them from the upper room out into the bustle of the morning street, to turn the desert of the world into the city of God. In his baptism we see Jesus identify with us completely and totally.

It can be hard to be loved like this, so completely and without reservation. Faced with this love we can seek to withdraw into the desert of hearts closed off from God and each other. But today's feast is our hope. Jesus the Saviour stands among us. He is not afraid to be labelled 'just another sinful face in the crowd.' As St Paul says 'God made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.'
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References:
HOMILY – FR PETER DILLON

PROLOGUE - Fr Paul W. Kelly

2009 – A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY Alice Camille; 

THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF MARK. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY;        

PATRICE J. TUOHY, PrepareTheWord.com, 2008, TrueQuest Communications, LLC.

Image - Shutterstock licensed Image: ID:1503704669. Vranov, Slovakia. 2019/8/22. Icon of the Baptism of Christ — Theophany, also called Epiphany. Chapel of the Convent of the Holy Trinity in Lomnica. By Adam Jan Figel.


The Baptism of the Lord. Year B.   (Sunday, January 10, 2021)  (EPISODE: 272)
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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{{How are you today}} welcome everyone, we gather -  To take time to reflect upon the meaning of God's word for our everyday lives


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 healed the sick: Lord, have mercy//Lord Jesus, you forgave sinners: Christ, have mercy//Lord Jesus, you give us yourself to heal us and bring us strength: Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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PREFACE: Baptism of the Lord
EP I

(theme variation: 3 )
(pre+post variation: 2)
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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 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.

- "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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Epiphany of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, January 3, 2021 - (EPISODE: 271)

Epiphany of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, January 3, 2021

(EPISODE: 271)

Readings for Epiphany of the Lord. Year B
FIRST READING: Isa 60:1-6
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13. "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you."
SECOND READING: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 2:2). Alleluia, alleluia! We have seen his star in the East; and have come to adore the Lord.
GOSPEL: Matt 2:1-12

Image - Shutterstock licensed Image: ID: 121108219. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 17, 2018: The fresco of Adoration of Magi the in church Kostel Svatého Cyrila Metodeje by Petr Maixner (1872). By Renata Sedmakov
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Epiphany of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, January 3, 2021, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-epiphany-year-b-episode-271/s-CjHDcpPIZ2I  (EPISODE: 271)
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* PROLOGUE - This feast of the Epiphany, and the accompanying readings for this weekend, reveal Jesus Christ to be the King of all heaven and earth, and the "light" to all nations and cultures.

"Epiphany is a Greek word meaning "manifestation." In ancient times, the term referred to an official visit by a King or Queen. This is a public presentation or showing to the people of a sovereign.

According to our first reading, the qualities of the Diving King are justice, right-judgement, care for the poor, "a person who establishes peace", a person with great concern for the needy, and who has compassion for the weak. The Divine King is the saver of the lives of the poor.
 
When we look at the gospel, (Not every King got a "present" in today's story…  not every king got what they wanted….  But they all got what they deserved…..). For, there are two kings featured in the gospel this weekend -  Christ and Herod.

The wise men met both Kings.  To Herod, they gave a respectful ear, but they did not worship him, and rightly so, and did not return to inform him of what they found. They 'listened to what the King had to say, but (through inspiration), they did not give King Herod what he wanted but rather, they returned to their own country by a 'different way'. 
We are all called to listen and reflect and ponder and then, with God's inspiration discern what is the right thing to do. Sometimes the right thing to do is to NOT give someone what they ask or demand.
 

In what ways can we let the light of Christ shine out to all those we meet?
 
(Fr. Paul Kelly)
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Homily -  Fr Peter Dillon:
Christmas, like a diamond, has many facets.  It is a bloom which unfolds over the twelve days that we call Christmastide. There is a song about the twelve days of Christmas. The twelfth night is the feast of Epiphany – meaning manifestation. Literally, the super-showing which reveals all the facets of this diamond of Jesus' presence amongst us.

With faith-polarised glasses, you can read the signs of God's love throughout the whole human story. For Christians, Jesus is the sign par excellence. Jesus, in turn, uses signs to point to his part in God's plan. Take John's story of the marriage feast of Cana. Jesus turns the Jewish Water of Purification into the wine of the new banquet God has planned for us. And in case we think this just a good party trick the narrator tells us that "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory". Look behind the story and you will see God's glory – shared by Jesus. God is revealing his plan for us. This story dramatizes that plan. Jesus is the medium. A classic example of the medium being the message. It is an epiphany.

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is another facet of epiphany. Mark's gospel tells us that "when Jesus came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased'."  Mark makes this an epiphany for Jesus. Matthew and Luke extend that epiphany to us. That is why we used to celebrate Jesus' baptism on the feast of the Epiphany.

Matthew's gospel is the most dramatic presentation of an epiphany. Wise men come from the East searching for the child who is born King of the Jews. By the time Matthew wrote his gospel the Jesus Movement had spread to the four corners. The East was Syria, Iraq (Mesopotamia) where the action was. The whole world was starting to believe and follow. These wise men are astrologers. They study the heavens.  Spotting a new star, they conclude that something portentous is at work. They bring gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for God and myrrh to embalm a body. With faith-tinted glasses they have spotted the epiphany that King Herod has missed. They even know that jeopardy is part of the story.

What does the story mean? The storyteller uses the details of the story to get his reader to understand his main point.
Matthew believes that it is fantastic that the whole world is getting the message that God is looking out for them.

Luke has the same objective when he tells his story of the first Pentecost. The point of the story is true –The storyteller's wish is that you might come to see it as clearly as he does.

Two men looked out through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars. It is how we look on our experience that makes the difference. Herod saw mud. The Eastern Sages saw stars.
No faith - nothing to see. But a questing look reveals facets of this diamond which is life flood-lit by love. You only get to know what was bubbling under the surface when the supernova erupts. That's a real epiphany worth waiting for.


Matthew is the only gospel which gives us the story of the 'Three Wise Men'. He is using it to stress the im­portance of Christ's good news for non-Jewish people, the gentiles or pagans as Paul refers to them in toda­y's second reading. Matthe­w's community was strongly Jewish and still loyal to the synagogue. They still regarded Jesus as their possession. They had not understood what St Paul said in his letter to the Ephesi­ans:
'This mystery... was unknown to any men and women in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.

In the seventh century, Persians invade Holy Land and destroyed all the churc­hes including the Holy Sepu­lchre. The only one spared was the Basilica of the Na­tivity at Bethlehem - the Persians found there a rep­resentation of the visit of the Magi and they recognised their dress as similar to the Persian mode. At least posthumously the Magi for­warded the cause of Christ.

  Our gospel tells us noth­ing of these wise people except that they return to their own country by a dif­ferent route to avoid Herod. Scholars who remained si­lent. It was the humble Apo­stles who had the startling success in spreading the good news about Jesus. They had to face up to the so­phistication of the Greek world and the practical l­ogi­cality of the Romans. Yet the power of Christ worked through them. We too in fai­thfully following Christ's values can overcome the in­difference of our sophisti­cated world.

Has our celebration of Christmas made a difference to our way of living? Has it made us keen to manifest Christ as we resume our lif­estyle af­ter the Christmas break? Did our Christmas include a good Confession and are our reso­lutions from that encounter with Christ bearing fruit in our life now? Particularly in our manifesting Christ to others through our part in the community of the Church.


May all of us experience and hear these words as we jour­ney
to find Christ. 
 
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References:

HOMILY – FR PETER DILLON
PROLOGUE - Fr Paul W. Kelly

[ii] Celebrating the Gospels. By Gaynell Cronin, 2.
[iii] Vision – Praying Scripture in a Contemporary Way. Year A. Mark Link S.J., 55
[iv] Abbot Philip: Monastery of Christ in the Desert. http://christdesert.org

Image - Shutterstock licensed Image: ID: 121108219. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 17, 2018: The fresco of Adoration of Magi the in church Kostel Svatého Cyrila Metodeje by Petr Maixner (1872). By Renata Sedmakov



Epiphany of the Lord. Year B  (Sunday, January 3, 2021)  (EPISODE: 271 )

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Happy New Year!     {{Shalom (peace)} to you all….} Welcome as we gather – On this Feast of the Epiphany,….  (The revealing of Christ as the light to the World)…. To offer our praise, worship and intercessions to our loving God.

Our God's love and mercy knows no bounds, and so let us recall our sins so as to worthily celebrate this Holy Sacrifice.

Lord Jesus, the nations of the world are drawn to your light. Lord have mercy.

You are the radiant star of justice. Christ have mercy. You are
the first fruits of the nations. Lord have mercy



May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: Epiphany
EP II
Communion side.  pwk:  RH
(theme variation: 2 )
(pre+post variation: 1)
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{Thanks everyone.  I hope you have had a wonderful start to the new year.  May god's guidance, peace and compassion be with us along the journey of 2021}.

The Lord Be with you
(let us bow our heads and pray for God's blessing)

May God, who has called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light,
pour out in kindness his blessing upon you
and make your hearts firm
in faith, hope and charity.
Amen.

And since in all confidence you follow Christ,
who today appeared in the world, as a light shining in darkness,
may God make you, too, a light for your brothers and sisters. Amen.

And so when your pilgrimage is ended,
may you come to him
whom the Magi sought as they followed the star
and whom they found with great joy, the Light from Light,
who is Christ the Lord.
Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
Amen.

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

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

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

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.

Christmas Hymn - "Word Made Flesh" by Paul W. Kelly. Based upon: John's Gospel 1:14,  1 John 4:9 , & Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7.
(Written on 8/5/20; 10/9/20).  Arranged and sung by Stefan Kelk, with adjusted lyrics.  2020. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

Traditional hymn:
"We Three Kings," performed by the Bobby Cole Chamber Choir, licensed via Shockwave-Sound.com
( https://www.shockwave-sound.com )

[ Production -  KER -  2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish - Mass for the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God. Friday, January 1, 2021 (EPISODE: 270)

Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God. Year B – 
Friday, January 1, 2021
(EPISODE: 270)

  HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! 

 

First Reading: Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm: Ps 66:2-3. 5. 6. 8. "May God bless us in his mercy."
Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7
Gospel Acclamation: Hebrews 1:1-2. Alleluia, alleluia! In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; now he speaks to us through his Son. Alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

Image Credit: ID: 22831801. Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. By alphaspirit.it

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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Mary Mother of God. Year B - January 1, 2021 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-solemnity-of-mary-the-holy-mother-of-god-1st-january-2021-episode-270 (EPISODE: 270)

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A new calendar year has begun today. 2021 has arrived. And the most excellent way to begin is to commend this brand new year to the intercession, protection and guidance of Mary the Mother of God. Mary, the first and most perfect disciple of Christ. May God bless this new year with his compassionate hand, and his grace and love.
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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 Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God,, trusting in Gods faithfulness, mercy and love let us first call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, your beloved and Mother is thereby the Mother of God. Lord have mercy
Your beloved mother is Help of Christians. Christ have mercy
Your beloved Mother is the Queen of Heaven. 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: Blessed Virgin MARY I
Euch .Prayer: 2
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{Thanks everyone, and THROUGH God's grace and mercy, and the faithful intercession of Mary the holy mother of God, may this be for you all a blessed, healthy and grace-filled year of the lord.}

The Lord be with you……
(Bow down for the blessing)

May God, the source and origin of all blessing,
grant you grace,
pour out his blessing in abundance,
and keep you safe from harm throughout the year. Amen.

May he give you integrity in the faith,
endurance in hope,
and perseverance in charity
with holy patience to the end. Amen.

May he order your days and your deeds in his peace,
grant your prayers in this and in every place,
and lead you happily to eternal life.
Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son,+ and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you forever.

Amen.

 

Dismissal:

 Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
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HOMILY:
It's always excellent to dedicate the new calendar year to God, and God's Kingdom, and God's vision for the world.

For this is indeed the Year of the Lord, 2021.

....

In good times and in times of trial .. God has shown us the direction, priority and values that show us the way to live and respond in any circumstances ...

it's also very fitting to dedicate this new year to the prayer and intercession of the first and most perfect disciple .. mary the mother of god ...
Mary - a woman of faith;
The willing handmaiden of the. Lord.
faithfully Saying yes to all that God was doing in her life.
woman of prayer &
praising God for his justice, his loving kindness and overflowing concern for the poor and the humble
Our lady - Pondering and treasuring in her heart, all that happened to her and around her.
filled with generosity and practical charity and concern for others.
faithful and willing intercessor on behalf of the needy, to her beloved Son.
In the readings for this feast day, it says "Happy /. blessed," are the people because God's hand is upon his people ... God cares for them.
God is guiding them, God is concerned for them and faithful to them.

We are blessed because God's hand is upon us, 
God's loving presence is with us, even when we are not happy or fortunate or when things are not going well, or even when we are not being treated well. Calling always for human dignity and justice to be given to all who are mistreated.  

(Commentary)

"Because Jesus, though a real human, like ourselves, truly and rightly calls God his Father. He is the son and heir of God. Jesus is free of all restrictions and enslavements, and we too, plunged into Christ in baptism, are similarly heirs and made-free. All this depends on Jesus fully sharing our human nature. (For he is truly), 'born of a woman.'

"Where did he get his human existence from, if not from Mary?"

"At the Council of Ephesus, (AD 431), the controversial and dissenting theologian, Nestorius wanted Mary to be called merely 'Christotokos' or 'Christ-bearer', but the Council insisted that the man Jesus, who was fully God, derived his whole being from Mary: she was 'Theotokos', 'God-bearer'. The whole person who was God was born of Mary, not just a human Christ. From Mary, he derived his genes, his DNA, his flesh-and-blood, his temperament (which was divine too), his habits of mind, his warmth of personality. He was utterly, frankly and joyfully human, and yet those who opened their eyes and ears to him could also revere him as God." (HW)

In today's Gospel .....

"The cosy picture of the bright-eyed child in the clean wooden manger (with the ox and the donkey peeping in from a respectful distance) has been cleaned up over the centuries.......The picture of the stable in Bethlehem is actually one of destitution. There was no room for the new-born in the normal living quarters, and his worried mother had to lodge him in the only space available, a feeding trough for cattle, perched on top of their fodder. That was where the ragged sheep-minders found him. They too were the poorest of the poor, no sheep of their own just hired for the night. Perhaps they got a drink of goats'-milk or a crust of bread for their shivering pains. Whilst Matthew's gospel (which is not heard today), does at least have the baby worshipped by those rather splendid Wise Men from the East, with their noble and powerfully symbolic gift; No gifts forthcoming from today's rough crew of shepherds."

"As we worry about our post-Christmas waistlines, and set out on our New Year resolutions, it makes us reflect on where true blessedness lies, and who are the chosen ones of the Lord."

"Surely, one might be tempted to say, (if only seeing with the eyes of this world), God could have rustled up more suitable worshippers for his Incarnate Son than these scruffy down-and-outs? Of course, (and thanks be to God), - He did not!" (HW)

As this brand new year begins….   Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.

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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly

Commentaries signed "HW" are by Dom Henry Wansbrough of Ampleforth Abbey. © Copyright 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Ltd ·

Image Credit: ID: 22831801. Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. By alphaspirit.it
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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.

Christmas Hymn - "Word Made Flesh" by Paul W. Kelly. Based upon: John's Gospel 1:14,  1 John 4:9 , & Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7.
(Written on 8/5/20; 10/9/20).  Arranged and sung by Stefan Kelk, with adjusted lyrics.  2020. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

Marian Hymn - "Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae." (Traditional 11th Century). Melody: Mainz (1712), Hymn #783 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/
 
Marian Hymn – "Quem Terra, Pontus, Aethera." ("Whom Earth and Sea and Sky Proclaim"). Traditional 6th Century Hymn. Melody: Bartholomaus Gesius (d.1613). #376 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/


[ Production - KER - 2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish. Sunday Mass podcast. Sunday, December 27, 2020 - The Feast of the Holy Family

Sunday, December 27, 2020, The Feast of the Holy Family

(In the Octave of Christmas)
(EPISODE:269)

Readings for Sunday, December 27, 2020
FIRST READING:
Sunday, December 27, 2020. "The Lord remembers his covenant forever."
SECOND READING: Sunday, December 27, 2020
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Sunday, December 27, 2020). Alleluia, alleluia! In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; now he speaks to us through his Son. Alleluia.
GOSPEL:

Image - Shutterstock licensed Image:  stock photo ID: 150278416. Vranov, Slovakia. 2019/8/22. The Nativity Icon – the Icon of the Birth of Jesus. Chapel of the Convent of the Holy Trinity in Lomnica, Vranov nad Toplou, Slovakia. By Adam Jan Figel
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish Mass – (including readings, prayers and homily etc), for  - Sunday, December 27, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-solemnity-of-the-holy-family-year-b-episode-269/s-rdS0UK52hXw  (EPISODE:269)
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Prologue:  Hello everyone, and happy Christmas season…    I hope you have been having a peaceful and blessed Christmas.   We continue to pray for people near and far who are still experiencing hardships from the Covid-pandemic.  Thanks be..!! for so many compassionate generous people who are doing everything they can to assist others in need. The Christmas season is not just one day. In fact, it is an "Octave"…  Eight days that allow us to more deeply experience the joys and significance of this great feast of Christ's birth. God made flesh and living among us.  And what better feast than today's celebration, very fittingly within this Octave of Christmas..  the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  This holy family had real difficulties and hardships throughout their lives and their prayers and example help us to this day, as we are inspired by their constant response to God of profound faith, hope and love…  …
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Homily -
As we continue on our journey through this Christmas season, this Feast of the Holy Family is a really important celebration, straight after the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, And within the Octave of Christmas.

At this time of year, we give sincere thanks for the love, nurturing and support that family can give us. And the love, example and intercession which the Holy Family give us on our life journey.

We think of those countless acts of kindness and love and sacrifices by our parents and families. When we were young, we probably didn't appreciate the scale of it all. When we get older, and have our own families, or watch with admiration brothers and sisters and friends raising their own families, we start to appreciate what our parents must have given and sacrificed out of love. We are truly grateful for this.

We are also very mindful of people whose family life has been extremely difficult and who did not have that support that others take for granted.  That is, not everyone in this world has been blessed with an unconditionally loving and accepting family, who support one another. We give thanks for mentors and all people who have been good role models and sources of care and protection for the young. These people have been family to others, beyond the ties of blood.

We keep in mind at this time, families all over the world, who have done it really tough this year, due to Covid illnesses, distance, separation and financial hardship and worries.

The Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, are the patron saints of supporting each-other and sticking together when everything is going wrong around them. for example:

When we take a close look at the very first Christmas, we quickly see that life, for the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was anything but smooth sailing.  The joy and hope of this celebration comes from the fact that God came into our world and made a home with us when everything was going really badly for the world. The first Christmas came at a time of incredible unrest for the people of Israel, who were suffering under foreign domination of a pagan empire, which had values quite opposed to many of the sacred religious values of the Jewish people.

Mary and Joseph are forced to take a terribly difficult trip to Bethlehem when Mary is imminently due to give birth. This would have been a difficult trip at the best of times, but it must have been extremely difficult for an expectant mother at the end of her term. They arrive at their ancestral home town and there is nowhere to stay. They are forced to sleep in a barn and Mary gives birth to a baby surrounded by animals. The baby is placed in a food-trough where the animals normally eat. The poorest and lowliest "outcasts" in the society at that time, the shepherds, are the first to hear about the birth and come to pay their respects.

Very soon after the birth, Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus must flee for their lives, becoming refugees from King Herod's murderous jealousy. They escape into exile in a foreign land.

And today's gospel, which is truly wonderful, the prophet Simeon and the prophetess Anna, in the temple, praise God for Jesus who is the one who will not only save Israel but who comes to save all the world. But then Simeon turns to Mary and warns her that her life will be touched by a sword of extraordinary suffering and sorrow, as the implications of loving and caring for her only son, will touch her life deeply too. Her beloved son must tread a  loving path of indescribable suffering and sacrifice for our sakes.

Mary and Joseph also had countless incidents when they just had to trust in what God was doing and, all the while were plunged into confusion about what it all meant. They trusted in God and supported each other, especially at times when things were not clear and did not make sense to them, and this made all the difference.

The Holy Family are our inspiration and our prayerful support for us ….

And this feast day, and within the Christmas season, we give sincere and heartfelt thanks for family….. and the support and strength that we can give each other along life's long journey, with all its joys and sorrows, its graces and temptations.

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Pray for us.

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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly

To listen to the whole Sunday Mass each week (including homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, please visit this link:  Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) -  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

 Image - Shutterstock licensed Image:  stock photo ID: 150278416.
Vranov, Slovakia. 2019/8/22. The Nativity Icon – the Icon of the Birth of Jesus. Chapel of the Convent of the Holy Trinity in Lomnica, Vranov nad Toplou, Slovakia. By Adam Jan Figel

  (Sunday, December 27, 2020)  (EPISODE: 269 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{Joy and peace to everyone}} welcome everyone, we gather -  Praise and Worship of our God.

my brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of Peace. Lord have mercy//  You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ have mercy// You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. Lord have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: Nativity of the Lord III
EP 1
Communion side.  pwk:  LH
(theme The Word became flesh)

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{I pray this week brings you an ever-deeper experience of his compassion and love. }

Go in peace. 

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

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

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

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

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

Roman Missal, 3rd edition, 2010, (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA.

"The Psalms" by The Grail - 1963, 2009.

Prayers of the Faithful - Robert Borg "Together we pray" - (1993).

St. Ralph Sherwin Gloria  - written and sung By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski.  2011 ccwatershed.org.

Christmas Hymn - "Word Made Flesh" by Paul W. Kelly. Based upon: John's Gospel 1:14; 1 John 4:9; & Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7. (Written on 8/5/20; 10/9/20).  Arranged and sung by Stefan Kelk, with adjusted lyrics.  2020. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

Traditional hymns: performed by the Bobby Cole Chamber Choir, licensed via Shockwave-Sound.com   (https://www.shockwave-sound.com)

[Production - KER - 2020]

May God bless and keep you.
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