Paul's Reflections Fifth Sunday of Easter - C

2nd May, 2010      Fifth Sunday of Easter - C

 

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The gospel this weekend, goes right to the heart of our discipleship…. 

 

Jesus tells us what it really means to BE a follower of his…..  to be someone who calls themselves “Christian”  a follower of the ways and values of Jesus the Christ.

 

And it is all about LOVE.  

 

Whatever else we might think being a Christian, a follower and friend of Jesus,  it is really all about LOVE.  God’s love for us, and our living of God’s love to all we meet. 

 

Above all, (above all our creeds, the ten commandments and every action and liturgy of the church) , love must be the foundation and the end to which all our efforts and actions are directed…. As St Paul so wonderfully put it once…   If I had the faith to move mountains…  and if I were to give up my body to boast…  but did not have love, it would do me no good whatsoever….

 

Others will KNOW we are Christian, not by what we say, but by the love that we show….

 

//  ….“see how they love one another”  become the response….

 

All our prayer, all our good works….   All our worship and teaching….   Every bit of it, is directed to fostering in us an ever deeper love of God, love of neighbour and love for oneself.   If we are not becoming a more loving, more compassionate person with the passage of time, then something is not going right…….

 

Of all the things we could spend our time and energy doing,…… asking God to foster in us the Love with which God sees the world ……   this would be the best thing ever….. 

 

SO much regret can occur when we look back and see the times we may have chosen to act in a way that was achieving an end  that was not primarily about doing the most loving , most gracious, most compassionate response in the circumstances…..   as opposed to the most successful, the most decisive and the most self-serving response….

 

Our church, and our community, is utterly transformed when love is the centre of our actions and priorities…  because God is love….  So, let us love one another as Jesus has loved us… and model that in our actions…

 

 

 

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In the second reading…   it says…..  “Behold, I make all things new.”    The Book of Revelation tells us what happens to us if we have grace and believe:  we are made new.  Not only are we made new, everything around us is also made new because we begin to see with eyes of faith, to hear with ears of faith, to live with a new power which is the grace of God.”  Let us walk in this new life now and always…    and in times of darkness…  let us walk on in trust and hope…..

 

 

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Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit who gives life and effectiveness to everything we do…..    and this Spirit gives us special gifts to help us to achieve what God is wanting to build in our lives and our world.

 

In our sacraments, there is a special sign of the giving and descending of the Spirit upon us and that is the sign of the 'laying of hands.'  where the priest or bishop holds his hands over the person or object to be blessed and prays that the Spirit may come down upon them to give them the effectiveness to do what they need to do, the become what they are called to be….   

 

Each sacrament of the church has this sign of the 'laying of hands, and the calling down of the spirit, and I do invite the young people to watch for when these signs occur in our prayers….    in confirmation, Bishop Finnigan will place his hands on your head… and pray that the Holy Spirit be poured down upon you, and give you special gifts… spiritual building blocks to help you live as good disciples of Jesus….   

 

Traditionally, the church sees that there are seven gifts of the holy spirit, and the young ones preparing for confirmation and first holy communion are learning about them:

the spirit gives the gift of : 

 

wisdom - the gift of being able to see things the way God sees them. To accept my life from God and be able to learn and grow through all that happens to me.

 

understanding  - the gift of being able to capture the meaning of God's message. To listen, to think things through and to be able to put myself in others' shoes

 

right judgement - the ability to see what to do in a given situation. to be able to choose and act for what is right and good and true.

 

courage - the ability to be able to keep doing something we know to be right and good even when it is difficult. to accept difficulties and challenges in my life cheerfully and firmly and strongly.

 

knowledge - the gift of knowing that God is the Father and that Jesus is his son,  and knowing about what God teaches us. to willingly learn about and develop my relationship with God and other people.

 

 

reverence - a deep respect, gentleness and care shown towards God, God's creation and people.. To have respect and care for myself, all people and all things of our world.

 

“wonder and awe”  in God's presence. Gift of being able to appreciate and enjoy and be aware of all the amazing beauty that is in our world and the ability to see that God is at work still in our world.. to be deeply impressed and in amazement about all the wonders God has done for me, and for others and for the world and for the things that happen in life, big and small.

 

May we all be open to the gifts of the Holy spirit, and say 'yes' to God building us up into living stones in God's house of kindness, practical action and love…

 

 

(bless the candles of the children preparing for confirmation and communion)

 

Paul's Reflections Third Sunday of the Year - C. 24th January, 2010

24th January, 2010      Third Sunday of the Year - C

 

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I was really Impressed by the words of reflection given by Abbott Philip in his monastery community of Christ in the Desert, in New Mexico,…  he writes, on the readings this weekend…

 

Today’s Gospel says so simply:  my sheep hear my voice!  No one can take them out of my hand.

 

SO, we are invited and challenged to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus today.  It is by listening to His voice and recognizing His presence and believing in Him that we are saved. 

 

[[pwk]]….But surely (just as importantly….  Just as essnentially……)   listening to him and believing is not the end….. but only the beginning……   Sometimes we hear people…..    speaking of “all we need to do is believe in Jesus as Lord….”    It is certainly true that believing in Jesus as Lord is important….   But that does not make sense unless the kind of “believing” we are referring to is not just holding some ‘concept’  or intellectual understanding of who Jesus is…..  but an ACTIVE kind of believing…..    when (BECAUSE) of who we belive Jesus is…..  it means we Believe in what he DID…. And we believe in his message….  And we accept that message … and LIVE IT…. In practical, concrete ways…….  Otherwise….  If we just say…  yeah, I do accept Jesus is God’s son… but don’t live in the reality of what that means for our lives… and how we act …. And our priorities….  Then it becomes a veryhollow platitude…………   [[pwk]]

 

So…  “we have to respond to that voice,……  though (true)…… only believing in Jesus gives us the strength to act from faith and live that reality…….

 

The first reading today, from the Acts of the Apostles, tells us about preaching the word of God.  Only if we have heard that word ourselves can we preach it effectively.  Again the challenge of this Sunday is to hear the voice of the Shepherd, to hear the voice of Jesus and to let it touch our hearts and our minds.  If we ourselves are not converted, we shall never be able to inspire others by the truth of Jesus ……. We will never be able to draw others to the Lord.

 

I mean week in and week out … we preach that Jesus is Lord… and he makes us all brothers and sisters in God’s family…..   believing this changes everything about how we act….   We don’t make distinctions in the dignity of the people we relate to……   because of this belief….   We try to avoid acting as if there are different classes of people….  Who are treated differently from others…..   no we respect and treat everyone with the same dignity and love…. Or else we have totally missed the point of who Jesus is and what he was here to do…..

 

 

The second reading today, from the Book of  Revelation, speaks of the countless numbers of people who hae borne witness to Jesus’ message, many of whom have paid the ultimate price for their belief in the values worth standing up for…… 

 

[[This is fitting on this Anzac weekend, where we remember those who put their own lives last…  in the defense of family, friend and stranger…   because of their beliefs in the lasting value of things…..  We shall never forget this sacrifice… no greater love has a person than to lay down their life for their friends…..    and also…   there are many ways people lay down their lives.. the ultimate.. is the loss of their physical life… and in addition many have laid down the quality of their lives, due to the sacrifices they made……   their health and peace of mind, effected by what they sacrificed.. we remember them too….   ]]

 

Sometimes we surely ask ourselves:  how do we listen to God and let His word transform us?  There is no easy answer.  We can read the Scripture every day and sometimes it seems not to penetrate us.  We can try to meditate and at times, all we have is inner emptiness.  We can ask God to possess and yet at times we sense only abandonment.

 

In all of this, we must persevere.  We must continually ask God to touch our hearts and our minds, even when we find ourselves resisting Him.  We must continue to read the Scriptures even when they seem not to touch us….. ….

 We must continue with meditation, prayer and contemplation even when nothing seems to happen.  Perseverance over many years of knocking at God’s door is the only answer.  He may give us small glimpses at times or He may leave us in darkness for years. [[ we cannot demand how and when God touches our lives….  We let go in trust… and ask God for patience and wisdom…for God to act in God’s own time… which is different… so very different from ours]]

 

We are invited to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd.  We know that He is with us, even when we walk in the valley of darkness.  May our profound awareness of His presence lead us onward, believing that in the end, He will give us light and let us hear His voice.  Let us sing alleluia to the Lord.

 

 

(Abbot Philip, OSB; with additions in brackets by Paul kelly

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REFERENCES:

 

·        MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT’S HOMILY.

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections EASTER SUNDAY 3-4TH APRIL, 2010.

EASTER SUNDAY 3-4^TH APRIL, 2010.  FR PAUL KELLY

 

Jesus is risen…  he is with us….   We do not look for him among the dead….  But he has gone ahead of us, into the town… into the places everyone lives, works and socialises….   It is here we will continue to meet him……

 

There is a lot of running going on in the gospels for Easter weekend…….(Holy Saturday and the Easter Sunday morning gospel too)……  for example…Mary of Magdala runs to see the disciples when she finds the tomb empty…. The disciples.. peter and john run back to see for themselves this amazing claim…..    And no wonder they run… its Extraordinary…  it is incredible…  they cannot comprehend what has happened……    The news is so AMAZING that the gospel says that the disciples did not initially believe the women’s story because it sounded like nonsense….   So they raced to see for themselves…… 

 

And wonderfully…  the first piece of information that shows them something amazing has happened..  is they they find an empty tomb…   finding nothing doesn’t sound like a lot at first glance… but it’s it’s the start… // it’s the first thing…./  His body is not where it should be…   the cloths are removed…  and, in another gospel account of the Resurrection,  it says “the cloth for the head-covering was folded up in another place”… not something that would have happened if the body had been simply moved or stolen….//they knew this was the first of series of things that confirmed.. that he had risen.. he was alive… beyond teir wildest expectations…..  and better than any faint hope…

I love the symbolism of Easter….  So many wonderful signs and symbols that all point to the reality that God is faithful to us… that God wants to walk with us through our whole life journey….and will never cease to love us as beloved sons and daughters …….

The most impressive and striking symbol of Easter… and it continues through the Easter season and also in many of our celebrations during the year…. the Easter candle…..   symbol of Christ… the light of the world… who scatters the darkness of sin and death and shows us the way……   

I love how in baptism and also in renewing baptismal promises…  in the reception of RCIA candidates and in confirmation and communuion ceremonies and first reconciliation…..we light a little baptismal candle and give it the candidate… (or the parents/godparents who receive it on behalf of a child if they’re too young to hold it themselves..)……   the baptised child becomes a child of God..  a child of light….    We carry the light of Christ with us wherever we go… we are like  a “little light of Christ” to all we meet…  it’s the same light as God’s… it takes nothing from God, we are linked by the same light within us…….  We have been called from darkness into God’s wonderful light… we will now walk as children of the light always….   With Christ as our guide….

 

The flame of God’s love (and life) cannot be put out… it lives on..  it rises to new life… and this is what we celebrate this Easter and every day of our lives…

 

The image of light and dark.. features heavily in the Holy week….   Mary Magdelene and the other women.. went to the tomb on the first Easter Sunday so early that it was still dark…   the dawn had only just occurred, and the light had not yet illuminated the world…   that is a beautiful image….   Jesus is risen… but the light of Jesus has not yet ascended to all places and all people..   so we, like Mary Magdelene and the other disciples walk in the truth that the dawn has come, but the light has not fully shone in all parts of our world or (for that matter)..in all parts of our own hearts and lives.. but it has well and truly begun and cannot be stopped…..   //the Light of Christ will rise and shine on all things and all people… putting an end, (eventually), to all things of the darkness..// all sin and all injustice….  We walk and live in this hope….and our actions and priorities strive to match this vision … this hope….

And, as College principal, Joy Massingham writes in her Easter newsletter…. “On a personal level, Easter reminds us that even when hope seems as if it is dead and buried, Christ is there.” That is so true….  God has the final say… God is at work bringing life even out of the darkest moments….In so many ways, Christ’s resurrection is the highest example of the all the little resurrections and new beginnings that God does work in our lives ….  New life, just when we thought hope seemed dead…. Or we thought we were stuck in a situation without hope of a change… and suddenly something happens.. a light dawns.. and a new path opens up.. and we walk on in wonder and awe and how this could have happened……

 

Congratulations to the members of the rite of Christian initiation of adults….   Who are being welcomed into the church this Easter….   Tonight.. we have Jeannie S., //….. and also Tia and Rachel, who are being confirmed and receiving first communion tonight, to complete their initiation into the church……  ….   We have also welcomed into the church recently..  Tracey S. and Joy W... (both of whom can’t be here with us tonight.. but they are both in our prayers and best wishes)….    You are celebrating tonight that we are all called to be followers of Jesus, people of hope and thanksgiving.. and people who carry the light of Christ to all we meet, in everything we do and say…..// Thank you for your affirmation of faith which renews and encourages us all in our faith journey too)

 

AND THANKS TO Tom and Anne Metcalfe  who are having their baby, Stella Rose,  baptised in mass Easter Sunday morning… // as I mention.. Easter Sunday is the ideal day for baptism…    just as we go into the water of baptism.. and come out newly reborn… so too we remember, in this Easter message, that we too go into the tomb with Jesus so that we can rise to new and everlasting life.. and all the promises that Jesus makes to us, that Easter Sunday shows to be true and forever valid… 

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May God bless everyone with peace.. and may we always walk as children of the light…   people of hope and people of thanksgiving…   determined to ensure that our lives and actions match the hope we are called to…

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections GOOD FRIDAY. 2ND APRIL 2010.

GOOD FRIDAY. 2^ND APRIL 2010.  FR PAUL KELLY

 

“My God my God, why have you abandoned me?”

These words on the lips of Jesus are heart-rending and powerful still….  And THANK GOODNESS these words are on Jesus’ lips… it says so very much!!!! 

 

Jesus knows what it is like to suffer…..

Jesus knows what it is like to feel utterly abandoned…   even to feel abandoned by God the Father…in a moment of intense need…….  But to keep on trusting and hoping…..

 

God knows what it is like….

 

Jesus cries out in the voice of all who suffer, who feel abandoned…  who are alone…… //  Jesus suffers with them and calls out for justice on their behalf.,.. and with them,….//

 

On a day like today, I can’t help but think of the many different ways people carry crosses in this life….  And the many ways that God is in there with us…..

I think of the countless people throughout history and across the nations, whose lives were not counted as valuable… whose lives were considered dispensable by others….  Who disappeared by night under some oppressive regime.. or whose lives were treated by contempt by others more powerful than them…  their lives were mistreated  and many went to their deaths voiceless…  unknown…  unsung……   Jesus death on the cross says that even if people are mistreated… even if they are silenced without any respect for human dignity…  even is the humblest, most voiceless person is not given the reverence all humans deserve…..  their plight is known by God and will be vindicated…..  they are of value.. and their value is not determined by how poorly they were treated by others…  God has the last say… and its one of faithfulness….

 

We think of those who are poor, lacking food, shelter, medicine, education….  We think of those who are fighting for justice and fairness whilst others take more than their share….. 

 

We think of people in our own community, suffering illness, pain, injustice, lack of self-worth..  who are feeling unforgiven and unloved….  All these people do MATTER to God and the cross says, they should all matter to us to…..  If Jesus loved them and us enough to give up everything he had to save us….  Then we are challenged to imitate him in big and small ways …. And strive to walk the road less travelled.. and not to be put off by the possibility that we might suffer for what is worthwhile in life, for what is worth standing up for…  we will be vindicated, we will be lifted up… 

 

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On this solemn celebration of Good Friday, I think of a quote from the first lady to win the prestigious Pulitzer prize for international reporting…  “The struggle to maintain peace is immeasurably more difficult than any military operation." (Anne O'Hare McCormick (1882-1954)

 

Jesus knew that from the outset…. Is this why the cross is so central to the message of Jesus?   Because the way of peace… the way of love…  the way of self-sacrificing service… , whilst absolutely vital and very much desirable… is a hard, hard road….  A path to Calvary and the cross…  something that will take everything one can give…   in a goal worth achieving.. but a goal that has an enormous cost…    a love that suffers…. For others.. and for what is right….

 

The cross of Jesus is not that God wants us to suffer..  but shows us that God is prepared to personally pay the ultimate price for what matters…   for us……  //…but that price is a hard, narrow road, where there is no short cut to the goal…..

 

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We are gathered around this powerful symbol of the Cross of Jesus Christ….   Jesus loved us so much he gave everything to save us…  He gave his life for us….   He allowed everything bad about human sin to be nailed to the cross with him and defeated….  He takes all our sins… all our suffering… all our worries…. All our fears…  all that weighs us down and imprisons us and allows it to be nailed to the cross with him .. so it will be defeated….   So that we might have life and life to the full…..   Jesus shows God’s love…. A perfect love….   Jesus shows us the example of a love that serves others and respects everyone… and he calls us to follow him in this love…   the cross defeats all that is bad… and Jesus promised to rise up on the third day to new life.. and invites us to share in this new life forever…

 

In a little while the cross will be carried in to the church… and placed at the foot of the sanctuary for veneration….    For you to venerate in a way that is meaningful to you…… a bow, a touch…. A kiss……   everyone has their own way………..   As you look upon the wood of the cross.. as you touch it………..  we can pray in silence to our Lord……….  What are the things in your life that you want to nail to the cross of Jesus..  to unite with Jesus’ cross………// What worries.. What prayers.. What sins.. What hopes and fears.. // Who are you praying for at the moment?…   Visualise yourself connecting those things to the cross; so Jesus will transform them.. and give you victory and hope….

 

When we go from here today..  Let us pray and reflect:  how can I be a servant leader to everyone I meet?….   How can I help lessen others burdens?…  to lighten the load……   In what ways can I put others first and show God’s love and respect to others….

  

 

 

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections HOLY THURSDAY HOMILY. 1ST APRIL 2010. FR. PAUL KELLY

HOLY THURSDAY  HOMILY. 1^ST APRIL 2010.  FR. PAUL KELLY

 

The thing that really strikes me in the readings this year….   is the wonderful line from the second reading tonight…..  from St Paul, in his letter to the people of Corinth….  “this is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you…..”      //  what he received, he in turn passed on to others….….   And what those people received.. they passed on to those they knew… and t their beloved families…….//…  and, generation after generation has faithfully passed down this treasured faith….. this sacred story….    Over two thousand years…..  right through to this gathering of the church in prayer…. United with the church throughout the world…… 

 

We hold a treasure so special, so precious……   so life giving……   it is hard to put into words……… There is a richness,…  and a connection that we never take for granted…….  That we can reflect  upon for a lifetime……   //

The other thing that struck me about the gift of the Eucharist…., Christ’s gift to his disciples…..  the gift of his abiding and real presence amongst us…….,   which we commemorate in this Holy Thursday night…..  is that, at the end of Jesus’ earthly life….   Knowing that he would soon suffer and die….  Knowing that one of his own followers was about to betray him… and that people were turning against him just for suggesting that God wants all people to be part of God’s family.. and to live in peace, harmony and justice with one another and with God…..   and aware that his own disciples were not fully getting his message and that they would soon all scatter… and even Peter would deny him….  Knowing all of this, you could be forgiven for feeling bitter, disillusioned, angry….   Sorry for oneself……   Jesus was none of these things…….    he was sad, and, yes, he was very fearful of what would come, and he must have been tired and disappointed….  …… but despite all this….  He longs to share a final meal with his friends….  He takes bread.. and takes a cup… and he looks up to heaven and he gives heartfelt thanks to his heavenly Father…..   in the midst of everything that was happening and what was about to happen… his whole life… his whole attitude it one great act of thanksgiving and service…. That is so impressive….   It is beautiful…..    it would be understandable of a person, faced with all this, was moody, distracted, self-absorbed and withdrawn… but instead… Jesus takes time out to thank his Hevenly father for so many great gifts… he thinks clearly about giving his followers this lasting way of being connected to him, come what may… and he gets up and serves them.. by washing their feet…. To show the attidude and focus of his message…  self-sacrifice…  service.. and above all… a love that gives everything for others……      Jesus is our inspiration and our model for everything….

 

We too, in everything we do and say, must be people of thanksgiving….  Even today, the word eucharist…  means “thanksgiving’ “’’   so in good times and blessed times… let us give thanks for all the many, many gifts we have….   And even in times of difficulty  and pain…  of turmoil and doubt… let us continue to be grateful and remember the gifts that we still have… and give thanks to God for everything and everyone…  if we take on Jeus’ thanksgiving, grateful and loving service attitude.. the world would be utterly transformed… and us along with it……

 

Let us, (in good times and bad…  in season and out of season…  be people of thanksgiving…  Eucharistic people in word, action and truth)…..

 

As with every year, (in this sacred three days of the church year), there are some noticeable differences and omissions in the usual pattern of our liturgy…. These are all deliberate and powerful in their symbolism and significance…..

At the end of the mass tonight there is no final blessing or dismissal… and tomorrow at the Good Friday commemoration..  again there is no greeting or “dismissal proclamation”…   and also, on Holy Saturday the ceremony begins without any formal “sign of the cross” or greeting….  This is because these three days… and these three liturgies are actually one and the same (united liturgy)… spaced out over three days…. // --  A powerful, continuous journey….  Spread out over three days………With pauses between for reflection and prayer…..  

The differences, and solemnity also flow through to the absence of greetings and endings in the gospel…..  and of course… after mass tonight…  the altar and sanctuary is stripped of decoration…..   taken back to the bare, unadorned furniture… as a sign that the shepherd is struck,,, the sheep are scattered… and the church waits in vigil … mourning, waiting, fasting…..   longing for the bridegroom   to return….  Everything sparse… until the joy of Easter…..

 

And on good Friday, there is no holy water in the fonts….. and the tabernacle is empty.. the usually continuously flickering red light to indicate Christ’s presence in the sacrament..   is out….  We wait in darkness for the Light of the world to rise again……