Paul's Reflections New Years Eve.

New Years Eve.

 

I do love this new year’s celebration.

 

Even though the church year starts at Advent.

 

The start of the calendar year is an important milestone. It is the year of Our Lord 2011. Another year which we dedicate to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

And to which we dedicate our work, effort and prayers to being servants and disciples of Christ.

 

To help (in any and many ways that God asks of us).. to establish God’s kingdom in the places we live and work and socialise.

 

As with Many … its not so much a time of revelry and late partying..  but rather a wonderful chance to quietly reflect on the year ending anf the new one beginning.

 

In this mass, dedicated to Mary the Mother of God, the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus…. We offer up our discipleship and prayers.. we offer up prayers for the year that is ending //…  we offer up all the good we have done to god….  May God transform it for his purposes…   and we offer up any mistakes and sins of the past year… may God forgive us and heal us….

 

For the new year..  beginning…   we ask God to bless and make fruitful our words our actions and our work….   And help us live the witness to the good news…

 

May god bless us and keep us in love, faith, hope and health in this 2011 and beyond…

 

Paul's Reflections 26th December, 2010 Holy Family. Year A

26th December, 2010      Holy Family. Year A

In many ways, today’s feast and readings continue on the Christmas message….

 

And it continues on my point from the homily at Christmas…….   God is truly with us on our lives and the ordinary and daily events of our lives….

 

“It is about 402 kilometres from Jerusalem to Cairo. Not bad if you have a plane or car.  But of course, no such luxuries were available in Jesus’ time.

 

I doubt the Holy Family- even had a donkey or a camel

 

In any case, it would have been a very difficult and uncertain journey.

 

Centuries earlier, the Chosen people, the Israelites, journeyed through that same desert, looking endlessly for the promised land;

 

Mary and Joseph journeyed too, but with God literally right in their laps the whole time.

 

Not to downplay the difficulties and challenges, but it must have made the journey survivable knowing that God was truly with them in their struggles and difficulties.

 

We, too, (in a symbolic sense)……wander through many deserts on our way through life, sometimes forgetting that the child Jesus is right there in our hearts.

As he spiritual writer Thomas Merton once said….  “The journey to God is a journey inwards…..”    we are searching and trying to find God is right there in our hearts…”(1)

 

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REFERENCES:

 

FR. PAUL W. KELLY

(1) MY DAILY VISITOR REFLECTION, December 26^th. Holy Family.

 

Paul's Reflections Christmas Mass. 24-25th December 2010.

Christmas Mass. 24-25^th December 2010.

The Feast of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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I pray that this Christmas is a time of joy, peace and wonderful for you all………

 

The baby Jesus is the last part of the beautiful nativity scene.

 Loving God…Thank you.. for sending us Jesus, Your son..Jesus was born in a stable

And shared his life…With all of us…Help us..To show our love, and care

To our family and friends, may Jesus show us how to be kind… and loving always…

Amen…

 

As we give gifts, in this time of ongoing economic recovery.. (where many are still doing it really tough),  may we gain strength from the fact that any gifts we give are always intended to be a token of appreciation that echoes the one perfect gift that God has given us……  the gift of himself…   God who has become one of us…  God who has become human like us…..(in the person of the baby Jesus)……    So, of course, the greatest gift we can give each other is the gift of our own presence and attention and respect and care for each other…. If we give the gift of true Gratefulness "for the gift and uniqueness of one another"…  / if we are feeling overburdened by the challenge of providing ever more material gifts.. Let us recall that the season is about Jesus' birthday, and what he has given us….  Himself…..

 

(Tonight/today's) readings tell us that God show us a sign//…. //  Throughout history… (and perhaps in each of our lives too)….  Have we asked God: "Show us a sign"…..    "Show us that you care"…. "Show us that you are real"….  "Show us something that answers all our questions about the difficulties, challenges and tragedies of life"……..    I know many expect that such a 'sign' will be dramatic…  world shaking…..    spectacular….  (I suspect that in many ways, our modern society is constantly on the look-out for the "next buzz"… the next "world-shaking event"…..  the next "amazing sign"……….our society can get stuck on the fix of constantly moving from one all-time-high to the next……//..    But we should know by now that God does not do things by human standards, (but rather: by God's wisdom)….  So….// God DOES give us a sign… and it is extraordinary….  Well…  actually…   no….  (It is the opposite)……   the sign God gives is actually very, very ordinary….

 

The great SIGN that God gives us… is surprising… almost anti-climactic……  and not what we expect…..  the great sign that God gives to us…  for all time…. (Luke's gospel tells us)…… " This will be a sign for you: … (wait for it……)…….  you will find a baby,  wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a food trough."   (in a stable)…….     

 

The angels, and the later arrival of the Wise men…..    This is amazing.., but that is really just a side serving to what the real central sign is…….    And you know what?  It's so very ordinary!!!……..    It's so ……  simple……   so humble…………    and maybe that is JUST the point….. In a world where celebrities and people who are just famous for being famous… turn up to every big event in town that is going……    it's shocking that the biggest event in all history… was not for celebrities, rich and famous….  But for poor shepherds and foreigner wise men….  And the big event, was a baby born in humble surrounds to a loving, struggling young family…..   WOW>..   now THAT is true WONDER>..  and beauty….  It tells us that the simple things… the humble things… and the everyday people…. And values… THAT is where God's heart and presence is…. It's with US>>>>>> 

 

God doesn't go in for smoke and mirrors kinds of trickery….  Rather……. God wants us to realize that his lasting presence amongst us is to be found in the ordinary… in the everyday…. In the miracle of a baby.. in the context of a family…..   in the poor and the marginalized….

 

As Jesus became and adult and started preaching….  He continued to sstruggled with this perception problem all his life……   he wanted people to have 'wonder and awe so that they could open their hearts to God's presence and action in their lives…………   But….Some people would marvel at his Jesus works, but that's all they would do, marvel!!!. "Oh, my! Did you see that! Wasn't that something?" and they would go on with their lives unchanged. And there were some who wanted Jesus to perform wonders for their entertainment as you'd get a dog to jump through a hoop. They wanted "wonders on demand." And then there were those who viewed the working of wonders as a kind of litmus test to tell who has God's favour. If you make some magic for us, then you must be OK. If you can't or won't, you must not be worth listening to.

Rather…   we should give all our attention and to open our hearts to Jesus and his message…... To stand wordless before this scene of wonder and let the truth of it seep into us, our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our souls.

This scene of the Christmas crib……is an invitation and a promise. The invitation is to leave our pursuit of control and spectacle behind and instead enter into mystery. To be as vulnerable as this child and these parents. To be as open as these shepherds and as generous of heart as these wise men. To praise God like the angels and to pay attention like the townspeople.

The resulting promise is that we will meet God in these moments of ordinary life….. We will discover not only that Jesus is God, but that we, too, can share in God's life—not only in the heaven, but right here and right now.

AND SO HERE'S our invitation: 
• let us continue to Nurture our relationship with Jesus by paying attention to his presence in our day. And in the ordinary moments of life.

Let us continue to take time to Pray daily, perhaps before each meal with our family or friends.
• Let us avoid demanding signs from God and observe the many that are right before us. Let us pray that Jesus will give us the eyes to see God at work in our daily lives" And then start looking around. Love the people we encounter each day. Use our talents for the good of the world. And always be grateful for so many everyday gifts and wonders…

Let us not miss this moment of wonder now… and every day of the coming year….  God bless you always…

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·        Tom McGrath, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas): Mass at Midnight.

 

 

Paul's Reflections 19th December, 2010 4th Sunday Advent. Year A.

19th December, 2010      4th Sunday Advent. Year A.

 

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Well,

 

This time next week, it will be Christmas…   Hasn’t THAT come upon us quickly…..

 

I pray that this Christmas is a truly blessed, peaceful, joy-filled and moving time for you and for your family and friends…

 

And of course, safe and happy travelling (to and from your destinations)

 

In the Gospel, we see that God intervenes in human history in a quite amazing, bewildering way, that permanently changes everything from then on…. 

 

God’s amazing, saving action, comes through a young lady and her bewildered fiancé, who accept the work of the Holy Spirit working through them and in them….

 

We are told that Joseph is confused….  This confusion actually prepares Joseph to understand God’s ways and God’s actions, which do not follow human logic.

 

And maybe that is just the point….  If we expect and demand that everything always goes along normally and as expected … then we are not allowing for anything different to happen……    we are only capable of understanding a new and different thing is happening if we are prepared for the unexpected and the bewildering to break in and create a new reality in our lives and in our world. This is what happened to Mary and Joseph in  the most amazing way possible.

 

The “unexpected” and the “extraordinary”   disrupts and changes our plans for ‘more of the same’.   (if we always expect what we always had, then we will always get what we always got!!”)

 

And, the SIGN that God gives us of his faithfulness…. Is the most amazing and wonderful sign ever…..   God comes and makes his home among us and as one of us….  Forever….  You can’t get any closer than that!!!!

 

God will come and dwell in our midst…

 

“God pitched his tent (definitely) right in the middle of human history”.

 

It is always IN the midst of our human lives that we will encounter the real presence of God amongst us…

 

Mary’s humility and obedience…. Joseph’s bewilderment.. and Paul’s resolute faith….    These are the attitudes needed of the disciples of Jesus..

 

Joseph listened and obeyed God’s word…… 

 

As I mention in the newsletter… the Christmas story is a complex one….  And today’s gospel shows just what depths of anguish and confusion were at the heart of people like Joseph and Mary…..

 

Joseph was described quite deliberately as a “righteous man.”  We have lost the sense of the technicality of that word. This word meant that he was a man who followed scrupulously the law of God and did what was required and true and right. But, he was struggling.  If a woman was found to be with child that was not his own,

the law required an unthinkable and cruel penalty – death by stoning. But it is clear that Joseph also KNEW that Mary was innocent and had done no wrong and was a woman without sin. If he were to follow the letter of the law, an injustice and an untruth would occur of the greatest possible proportions. So, he decided that the really righteous thing to do was to quietly call off the wedding. So….  Even before Joseph knew what was happening…. He was already living according to the Spirit of God…….  Not merely the letter of the law of Moses…….  So…. He was a man open to the Spirit….  This was what was right and fulfilling the spirit of the law. He still didn’t understand what was happening, it was too enormous to comprehend.   And of course, when he got more information, in the form of the clarification in the dream that this was all happening because of God’s actions, he faithfully and righteously did all that was needed. He obeyed God and did God’s will even when it was all very confusing.  Joseph and Mary are a very big inspiration to us.

 

“As we come to the end of Advent we are challenged, (each of us), to listen to God’s Word, to accept God’s word, to understand how this word works in Scripture and in our personal lives. 

 

We cannot respond to this challenge without a daily reading of some small portion of Scripture. 

 

We come to know the Lord through the Church and through the Scriptures given to us in the Church.

 

Come, let us seek Him.  As we wait for the Lord, may our hearts be ever alert to what God asks of us.”

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.

·          The righteous person’s dilemma, by Alice Camille

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

 

 

Paul's Reflections Late announcement

Late Announcement. 

 

Due to heavy rains and localised flooding in low-lying areas, the Mass for Aramara church tonight (Sunday 12^th December,2010)  is cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience, but it may be impossible to get there or to return, due to flooding of the bridges.   The next Mass for Aramara catholic church will be 3.30pm Chritsmas Eve Mass. See you there,

 

Thanks,

 

Fr Paul

 

 

 

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Fr. Paul W. Kelly

Parish Priest

Saint Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough.

 

269 Adelaide Street

Maryborough Queensland

Australia. 4650

 

Please visit our website: www.marycatholic.com

 

 

Paul's Reflections 3rd Sunday Advent. Year A. 12th December, 2010

12th December, 2010      3rd Sunday Advent. Year A

 

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I am grateful to Fr Dan Grundy who has celebrated the masses this weekend at ST Mary’s and Tiaro Church while I was doing a wedding.

 

I am back for the Aramara Church mass, Sunday night, December 12^th.

 

There is a consistent thread running through the Liturgy and the readings of this week’s Mass. Joyfulness, expectation, hope and thanksgiving. It lifts one’s heart. 

 

Why should we be joyful?  Because the Lord is near!  Why is the nearness of the Lord something to celebrate?  Because the Lord is our saviour who loves us and cares for us as a loving parent unconditionally loves their child. Because God is saying, he does care very much for us and the many worries and tragedies and in justices and needs that affect us in our lives. God wants to be near us, God wants to be one of us. God wants to walk with us in our joys and our sorrows, our graces and temptations.

 

From his jail cell, John the Baptist sends a message to Jesus and asks “are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another.”  The answer Jesus gives must have given John and so many others a wonderful joyfilled heart….  What do you hear and see,,,,, the lame walking, the sick being healed, the prisoners being freed…  Yes.. this is the saviour at work….  We are right to hope in him and to put all our trust in him. Thank Goodness for the Lord……

 

For all those who are bowed down, suffering, and experiencing illness, bereavement, lack of freedom, injustice, lack of food, shelter and the necessities of life, the Lord says,….   Be strong..   keep hoping.. don’t give up…  I am coming…  I will never forget you….. 

 

This is enormously powerful and important…..  

 

We are to be people of hope who see with the eyes of faith even when things around seem bleak…

 

Finally…  jesus makes another important point…  He praises John the Baptist as highly as possible… but then adds something very special….. “as highly praiseworthy and special as John the Baptist is…  the least in the Kingdom of heaven will be greater than him!!!!’   Jesus (even now) reminds us that membership of the Kingdom comes with a different mindset… the lowly, the poor, the outcast, the rejected… these are IMPORTANT to God…  these are to be treated with as much reverence, respect and given what they need, because they are beloved, cherished members of GOD’S FAMILY, and to be fully given this respect…   this is astounding and wonderful news…  no wonder this Sunday is called “rejoice Sunday”

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections ADVENT 2. DECEMBER 5, 2010.

ADVENT 2. DECEMBER 5, 2010.

 

whenever there is a bushfire .. even before you see the smoke or see the fire... you know something is coming.,.... because all the snakes and mice and wild-life come racing out of the bush... and getting out while they can.......... same with a ship sinking..... the rats desert the sinking ship......  

 

St. John the Baptist went about proclaiming that the day of the Lord was near and that now was the time to repent and change our ways or else......... all of a sudden he sees in the distance the Pharisees and saducees coming for baptism.. and he calls out....  well well... look who we have here.......   well if it isn’t the snakes.... getting out before the bushfire...... who told you what was coming?>....  The Pharisees and the saducees were well known for focusing on external things... how they were seen to be doing the right thing... whether or not they really were......but this didn’t fool John... your lives have to change... external rituals are not enough unless your heart is changed..... 

 

The first reading challenges us all......  God does not judge by what the eye sees of the ear hears... but  God looks at the heart...... with righteousness and equality.....

 

This is indeed good news for a world where (as one person once put it) the only exercise most people get is jumping to conclusions...........WE can continue to hope and work for a community where we refuse to judge by appearances.,... where we strive to live out the justice and harmony that Jesus asks....No matter how far off true harmony may seem, we are reminded that it is God who is steadfast towards us, and is constantly at work to bring about a change of heart. “God’s Spirit is at work when enemies begin to speak to one another, and ...nations seek the way of peace together” (Eucharistic Prayer II of Reconciliation).

 

What are the paths that we need to straighten in our lives and in the life of the church......  what barriers to we need to unblock in our preparation for the rebirth of Jesus in our hearts???

 

As individuals.....  what are our barriers.....  the best test of that is to analyse the things we do and say when we think no-one will hear or see or find out..... what things in our lives do we compartmentalise.....

 

Another thing that has struck me of recent years…..    we should ask more questions instead of making more statements…..  and we would be a lot happier if we asked open questions instead of judgement laden ones…  eg’s…..

 

I will never forget in a parish many years ago…   in the midst of a bit of tension between a school group and the parish over the use of a common hall..   I got a message asking me “why did you have the water supply turned off in the hall?”  to which I (trying to be polite) calmly replied…  “I didn’t HAVE The water turned off…  the pipe has gotten blocked and we have called a plumber to fix it”  ….   Why people jumped to assumptions I have no idea……..    actually… that was the same place.. and same groups… where… one day…  the parish had a meeting that ended with lunch…   and we had way too many sandwiches..  so, whilst  lunch was still occurring.. we offered  a plate to the p and f that was outside on a  working bee…  to which someone commented…   ‘ah, giving us your scraps…’  I was utterly horrified… and upset….   To think that people would think that I and they would give to others what we wouldn’t eat ourselves…   I think there was a lot of judging by externals and not from the heart going on….   Anyway.. that was a long time ago.. in a far, far away place…  

 

How often do I make judgements on the basis of appearance,, or hearsay.... how does Jesus message differ from this?

 

Who are the people I find hard to accept... how does Jesus invite us to relate?..

 

Let us continually present this barriers and blocked paths to the Lord of Justice.... and God will remove them... step by step……

 

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WelCome to new principal nathan wilson  (Saturday night mass)