Roman Catholic Reflections and Homilies: January 2009

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Paul's Reflections Baptism of Our Lord - B

11th January, 2009 Baptism of Our Lord - A, B or C

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WATER: This is the main symbol of baptism. Water represents washing clean and re-birth and renewal. Water is a perfect symbol, it contains so many meanings: It is an absolutely essential element for life……

It contains so many meanings within itself……… Health and life, danger and threat (as we have seen by recent news…. the force and danger of flood waters…. the power and unexpected force of the frozen glaciers of New Zealand…. where two people recently met with terrible tragedy…..)….. water represents both enormous power and also soothing, renewing, gentleness, …..a washing and restoring.

Water and baptism….. is a wonderful way of showing that by following Jesus we want to ‘immerse” or “plunge” ourselves into Jesus’ way of life. Baptism is a word that literally means “Plunge” and we believe that Baptism is not just a sign of following Jesus, Baptism connects us to Jesus and makes us one with his life and with the life of all other believers in Jesus.

In baptism, we become a beloved and cherished child of God……. children of the same Father in heaven… who is so generous, so lavish in love and praise.,… that the gospel today tells us, that the Father, upon Jesus rising from the waters of John’s baptism…. literally tears the heavens apart and pours down the most wonderful praise and confidence and blessing upon his beloved son…

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 loved 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 happenind… 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, heartful and constructive affirmation, encouragement and praise…… which is a form of gratefulness in words…. 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 everything they do is not good enough….. nothing they do will really satisfy or meet with approval…… for a person who gets false praise…. they either feel that the words are meaningless….. or else rely on compliments that don’t really give them a good indicator of who they are and what they are doing and how it is affecting others for the better…….. and then there are those who get good, positive feedback and affirmation….. even when setbacks and the occasional mistake or failure come their way, they are not defeated, because they believe in 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 a 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 a heresy.. and 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 un-divided elements of the perfect messiah… the two cannot be separated…..

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REFERENCES:

· FR. PAUL W. KELLY. Reflection on Baptism from Parish website, (http://www.parishes.bne.catholic.net.au/maryborough/baptism.htm).

· 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.

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Saturday, January 03, 2009

Paul's Reflections 4th January, 2009 Epiphany - B

4th January, 2009 Epiphany - B

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At the turn of the new Millenium….. Just minutes before midnight on new year's eve, DECEMBER 31^ST 1999, in london's Millennium dome, 2 young people stepped forward and began to sing a beautiful new hymn written by John Tavener, called " A New Beginning "…..

They sang…..

Let there be peace among all people, O Lord..

Let there be forgiveness for past wrongs..

And from this time on, a new beginning, O Lord…. "

What a wonderful way to see out the old millennium out, and the new one in……. what a wonderful way to see the new year out…., and pray the new year in….. (That year and EVERY year)… including now…. in fact, now more than ever……..

This is our prayer too…..

Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany (4/01/2008)

It is fitting to think of this feast of the Epiphany … the revelation of Jesus as ruler of all the earth and all nations.

We, more than ever, can acknowledge that we belong to a global community.. and that the needs and concerns of our sisters and brothers in all places, especially those poor and struggling nations, those areas crushed under violence, war, and/ or poverty and injustice…….are our concerns too… Today we celebrate that Jesus came for all people; to form us into one family in God.

That’s the other wonderful thing about the feast of the Epiphany… its really the celebration of all the gentile nations…. us included… that we too…. although not ones of the chosen people of Israel, to whom God’s covenant was originally sealed….. but now… that covenant and that invitation is for all people of all nations and cultures… for all times….. we are all invited to be part of one big family of God……. so in a real sense … this feast is the celebration and thanksgiving for the gift of all converts….. all people who have accepted the invitation to be part of God’s family from far and wide….

we think with grateful hearts of the many converts to our own faith and our own church community….. so many who have converted later in life to the catholic faith who have been an enormous and priceless gift to our communities…… we give thanks for them and their contribution.. the gift of themselves and their experiences and involvement…….

In the gospel today, the wise men are attracted to Bethlehem by a royal star…. Matthew's gospel then says…. "When the wise men saw that the star had stopped over the place where the child was, they were overwhelmed with joy.

That line strikes me….

On coming upon the place were the "King of all time lay",.,, they were overtaken by joy and delight…

Jesus is the source of true and lasting joy…. He brings us the message of lasting peace….

It made me stop and ask myself…. When was the last time I was overwhelmed with joy?…….

Or as the writer c.s. Lewis called it… "Surprised by Joy.'

… It's important to have a remembering heart… for all the big and small blessings that come with each day….

….. There are some wonderful psalms in the bible that really capture this idea…… and I like them so much…. like……. the line “in the morning Lord, let me know your love…….. or …….like psalm 30 says….

"at night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn." That wonderful feeling of waking up and a new day (a new year) has dawned.. and feeling positive, hopeful, peaceful! Perhaps even waking every so often with a momentary sense of God's all-loving (wordless)…….presence and care -- that surrounds us always.

I have mentioned this before, but I do feel this is so important……………I wonder if we might consider getting a prayer journal… just a simple blank pad of paper or a booklet… where we can write down our joys and prayers… to remind us of all the daily moments of grace that we might otherwise forget… to sustain us on our journey, and encourage us in the dry times…

let’s Forget about the gifts brought by the wise men… lets keep our own gift register…. A prayer journal remembering the many gifts God brings us!