Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 28, 2026 (EPISODE- 591)​

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 28, 2026 (EPISODE- 591)

Readings for Sunday, June 28, 2026 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A

FIRST READING: 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a

Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19. "Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord."

SECOND READING: Rom 6:3-4, 8-11

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (1 Peter 2:9). Alleluia, alleluia! You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people. Praise God who called you out of darkness and into his marvellous light.

GOSPEL: Matt 10:37-42

Stock Illustration ID: 158676443. oil painting illustrating a religious scene, Jesus christ and his disciples on a meadow. Illustration Contributor: Comaniciu Dan

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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers, and homily), for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 28, 2026, by clicking this link here: https://on.soundcloud.com/hUxGrXRjJR80DS6QmP   (EPISODE- 591)

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Suffering Love

Even our Lord hesitated at the enormity of the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed that this cup of suffering would be taken from him, but then added—wonderfully, the postscript we always add to every prayer we make to God—“However, not my will be done, but yours!” Nobody rushes towards suffering or prefers the Cross. The mystery of the cross is a difficult yet central reality in the life of Christ and in ours. And in life, there are many little crosses as we journey along our path.

There is something very beautiful and central about the readings this weekend. They speak of the “cost” of discipleship. A very big difference occurs when we follow Christ and “die to sin”—we die with Christ so that we can rise to newness of life, as the readings say.

It reminds us that when we become followers of Christ, our priorities really do change. We “die” to selfishness and live to generosity. And although we know that there is indeed a cost to following Christ, we do not keep a ledger—we don’t count the cost. Because we follow Jesus’ ways, we may be opposed by others who feel threatened by Christ’s values. We can be rejected by others whom the Gospel challenges. We must be prepared for the possibility that we may lose earthly things because of our discipleship and be placed at a material disadvantage in our material priorities. Still, we are greatly encouraged to know that we are living something greater—life with and in Christ!

I think of the wonderful generosity of the lady in the first reading. This lady simply wanted to help a holy man, a servant of God, and she supported him in his holy work. She did it unselfishly, without expecting anything back, but because she and her husband had been so kind, they were blessed in ways they could never have imagined or expected.

I was reading a reflection by the Jesuit commentator Mark Link, SJ. He was speaking about this Gospel message of “taking up one’s cross and following Christ.” I must say that, at times, I have said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I will follow you, and I will keep your message and values and proclaim it… But this ‘taking up the cross’ and ‘suffering’ thing… that part! Can we talk about that… maybe renegotiate it… I find that difficult!” I think most people balk at the idea that there will be pain, loss and suffering in life and in our decision to follow Christ’s ways.

Mark Link tells a story of a movie he once saw, called American Anthem. It shows a young man who is having great difficulty coming to terms with the loss of a limb in an accident. The man falls into a deep depression and stays in his room, with curtains drawn, not speaking to others, passing his time in darkness. He then contrasts this scene with another incident reported by a man named Robert Bruce, who recounted the day he was walking down a crowded street. He heard someone singing joyfully, and when he found the source of the uplifting singing, he could not believe his eyes. It was a man without legs, pushing himself along in a wheelchair, and singing joyfully and beautifully at the top of his voice. It is a reminder that one person’s rejection of a cross brought sadness, while another’s acceptance of a cross brought peace and joy. This is not at all an easy message. Our Lord not only taught us this, but he also lived this message so wonderfully.

There are crosses in our lives that we will surely find very difficult to accept or to carry.

Can we turn to the Lord and allow his grace to help us carry these burdens? May the Lord and his grace help us in our crosses and struggles. May the Lord pass by the desert spaces and make them into a place of life-giving waters. And may we trust in the Lord when he bids us, “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and I will give rest for your souls.”

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References:

Fr Paul W. Kelly; 

 

Mark Link S.J.  Vision 2000: Praying Scripture in a Contemporary Way: A Cycle.

 

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: Stock Illustration ID: 158676443. oil painting illustrating a religious scene, Jesus Christ and his disciples in a meadow. Illustration Contributor: Comaniciu Dan

 

To listen to the 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  

 

Also found at -   https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, June 28, 2026) (EPISODE- 591)

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 greetings to you all. as we gather - Pondering with reverence, God's word.}}

My brothers and sisters, trusting in God's mercy and love, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life: Lord, have mercy// //Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins:Christ, have mercy//Lord Jesus, you feed us with your body and blood: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 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19. "Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (1 Peter 2:9). Alleluia, alleluia! You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people. Praise God who called you out of darkness and into his marvellous light.
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: Sundays Ordinary III
Eucaristic Prayer II

(theme variation: 4)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)

 

{Peace and greetings to you all. as we gather - Pondering with reverence, God's word.)

 

(pre+post variation: v2-long)
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{Bless you all and May God's grace guide you each and every day.}

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 the weekly mass/homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

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: - Shure MV5 Digital Condenser (USB)

Editing equipment: 

NCH software - MixPad Masters v10.27. Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.42

Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor v.6.10.4320

[Production - KER - 2026]
May God bless and keep you.
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Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 21, 2026 (EPISODE-590)​

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 21, 2026 (EPISODE-590)

Image Credit: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/wuTZ47QBekxrKq9S6EYu/jesus-says-what-you-hear-in-whispers-shout-from-the-rooftops?ru=Paul-Evangelion 

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 21, 2026 (EPISODE-590)

Readings for Sunday, June 21, 2026 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A
FIRST READING: Jer 20:10-13
Ps 69:8-10, 14+17, 33-35. "Lord, in your great love, answer me."
SECOND READING: Rom 5:12-15
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 15:26b-27a). Alleluia, alleluia! The Spirit of Truth will bear witness to me, says the Lord. And you also will be my witness.
GOSPEL: Matt 10:26-33

Image Credit: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/wuTZ47QBekxrKq9S6EYu/jesus-says-what-you-hear-in-whispers-shout-from-the-rooftops?ru=Paul-Evangelion  

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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass (Readings, prayers, and homily) for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, June 21, 2026, by clicking this link here: https://on.soundcloud.com/bGpjKBpehjEO29fIzb   (EPISODE-590 )
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I have a saying, and I truly believe this, whenever you're doing a thing that is right and good, inevitably someone will come along and tell you to stop. We must ignore them, or as Jesus did, see their opposition for what it really is, fear. They feel threatened, so we have to keep going as Jesus did.

Our Lord is the ultimate example of this complete faithfulness to the vision of his Father. His enemies knew that there was only one way they could stop him from proclaiming and living his good news message of inclusion, justice and love, and mercy, and that was to destroy him, to kill him, and in doing so to discredit his message. But the word of God in Jesus cannot be silenced, and it rose up again alive, showing once and for all that the opposing forces of lies, injustice and violence, while real and dangerous, were ultimately empty threats that would be defeated by Christ and his gospel.

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Poor Jeremiah, he was only doing God's will, and awful people were doing everything they could to close him down. Jeremiah was simply speaking God's message as he's been commissioned to do, calling for justice and faithfulness, repentance and obedience to God's life-giving law, and this got him immediately offside with those who were personally benefiting from being unjust and selfish. So instead of listening to his message, because it was hard and challenging and required a mindset change, they did what people have done throughout the generations, they took the easiest option and tried to shoot the messenger.

Jeremiah's enemies did everything they could to abuse him, contradict him, lie about him so that he would be discredited, laugh at him and attack him. The wonderful thing is Jeremiah just kept telling his message, he ignored the attacks and the lies, although it hurt him and got him down at times, and he puts his faith in God and he kept going. Our Lord Jesus is the ultimate example of this complete faithfulness.

His enemies knew that there was only one way that they could stop him from proclaiming and living his good news message of inclusion, justice and love, and that was to destroy him utterly, to kill him and discredit him. But the Word of God in Jesus cannot be silenced and it cannot be put into a tomb and kept there. It rose up again, showing once and for all that the opposing forces of lies, injustice and violence were quite real and dangerous, but ultimately empty threats.

Saints and real heroes are people who can endure any hardship, bear any indignity, face any danger, even death, not because they think they can't be hurt, no they can be hurt and they can be killed, but because they know what they're struggling for is right, is true and is real, and that they know their souls are safe. Jesus knew this perfectly, he says, do not be afraid of those who can harm your body, rather fear the one who has the power over your very soul. Of course, Jesus had a right to fear physical harm, there were indeed people out there trying to kill him and they eventually did, but he believed in something much bigger than physical safety in his lifetime.

Jeremiah had people trying to kill him as well and he was right to be concerned about that. For us today the dangers are often not physical, although occasionally in this country and in other places it's more common, there are still people in this world, many of them and very tragically, who are risking and losing their lives and freedom for the cause of justice and truth, but for many of us the dangers we face are more subtle, often spiritual. When we have everything that we need then we can wordlessly be tempted to think that we do not need God.

When we look at our world today, we see that the richer nations believe less, that surely looks like a trend. Our Lord preaches a very different gospel, Jesus tells us that real happiness comes from belief in God, from seeking the will of the Heavenly Father, from giving to others, from sharing what we have with those who do not have and from respect for marriage, praying and from mercy. 

Jesus does not invite us to have absolutely nothing, but always the challenge is there. What are you doing with what you have? Are you loving God and loving one another? What are we doing in our daily life? Are we seeking only our own pleasure or seeking our own needs and not seeking the kingdom of God? So often we long for material pleasures, reassurances and the delights of this world. Jesus invites us to recognise that there is another world in which other values are much more important. 

When one person sins, others are encouraged to sin. When one person chooses life according to the will of God, others begin to grasp that there's another world. Jesus had a remarkable gift of convincing others of the Kingdom of God and its lasting values.

Jesus is God of course, but he invites us also to share his life, to share that gift of convincing others of the kingdom of God by our manner of living.

We may not live in an immediate environment where people are trying to kill us, but there are so many ways of neutralising a person other than murdering them. The most insidious of all is the aggression that's been perfected in this modern world. We can destroy a person quite effectively and their reputation with our words, with lies and distortions.

How easy is it to say something about another that makes others think less of them, killing their reputation with either outright falsehoods or, even more insidiously, by subtle innuendo. This is another way people try to remove those who they feel threatened by, but Jesus assures us things spoken in the dark will be brought to the light, things whispered will be shouted from the rooftops. I believe that the truth will often be revealed eventually, not denying the damage it can be done in the meantime.

In any case, Jesus, our role model, assures us not ever to be spooked by the power of lies and threats. They're powerful, but they're empty threats. He showed us that ultimately, if we keep going, keep trusting, keep living and proclaiming the truth, those who oppose us are doing so because the truth threatens them.

They're frightened of the truth, but ultimately, they will not win. But let us make no mistake, enormous damage will be done in the meantime, so we do need strength, grace and love to persevere. Some will even fall in the battle for truth, but God in the end will reward them.

And so, we should not be surprised whenever we're doing a thing that is right and good and someone comes up and says to us, stop that. Just because someone's unhappy with what we're doing does not mean we're doing something wrong. Perhaps the other is unhappy because the good work being done is raining on their self-focused parade.

If this happens, if we're told to stop doing something that is good and worthwhile and life-giving, we must be quite clear in our mind about how we respond to this. We must ignore them. We must keep doing the good, even in the opposition.

This could actually be an indication that the good we're doing is having a deep effect. 

And as our Lord knew all too well, not everyone will be happy when good things change a situation that might be benefiting some, but not others. Jesus saw their opposition for what it really is, fear. They felt threatened and he kept going no matter what the response. 

May we love the Lord our God and may the way we live show forth clearly that the kingdom of heaven is in our midst, especially in the face of opposition and criticism of that which is good and life-giving and true. May we live now in such a way that gives testimony to the love of God and to life everlasting.

May we have no fear and follow God.

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References:

Adapted and taken from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert,

Also, “2008 A Book of Grace-Filled Days”

And additions by Paul Kelly.

Image Credit: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/wuTZ47QBekxrKq9S6EYu/jesus-says-what-you-hear-in-whispers-shout-from-the-rooftops?ru=Paul-Evangelion

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To listen to the 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

Also found at -   https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, June 21, 2026) (EPISODE- 590)

The Lord be with you.
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{{Good wishes to you all. as we gather - Reflection upon God's word.}}

My friends in Christ, to worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us first acknowledge our sins.
Lord Jesus, you are the image of the unseen God: Lord, have mercy.//You are the firstborn of all creation: Christ, have mercy//You are the head of the body, the Church: 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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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary II
Eucharistic Prayer III

(theme variation: 3)

The Lord be with you.

{Good wishes to you all. As we gather - Reflection upon God's word.)
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Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to God's word with me and for praising God for his 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 the weekly mass/homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

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: - Shure MV5 Digital Condenser (USB)

Editing equipment:
NCH software - MixPad Masters v10.27. Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.42

Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor v.6.10.4320

[Production - KER - 2026]
May God bless and keep you.
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