Paul's Reflections 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. YEAR A. 30th January, 2011

30th January, 2011      4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. YEAR A

 

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The Beatitudes are a key part of Our Lord’s teaching and vision. 

 

The wording and the setting of this teaching indicate how absolutely solemn and serious this passage is. 

 

The start of the section has a rather awkward but quite deliberate sentence:  (using an older, more literal translation…….. “Seeing his disciples, Jesus went up the mountain. Then he sat down and opened his mouth and said to them…..”

 

The biblical commentator William Barclay tells us that what Jesus is about to say is an extremely solemn and significant pronouncement.  Rabbis sat when teaching.  On other occasions, when speaking less formally they would walk and talk, but when they really had a formal and official pronouncement and teaching to give, it was seated. The mountain represents the revelation of God. And ‘opening one’s mouth’ is not just a strange saying… this terminology was used in the most solemn and serious of pronouncements, such as when God opened his mouth and poured forth the contents of his heart…    what is about to follow is the core message of Jesus’ teaching….    And it is very serious….

 

And what he teaches them… is the Beatitudes.

 

They are both comforting and jarring, (at the same time).

 

It seems strange to say to people:  “happy are you who are poor!  Happy are you who are mourning!!!”…  In a world that desires happiness above all other things, and that which brings happiness is to be desired and sought after with all one’s will….   There is NO WAY that anyone is going to desire or strive after poverty, sadness, injustice and persecution.

 

Other translations use the words “blessed are you”  instead of “happy are you.”

 

In any case…

 

And it appears that the word used for “poor” doesn’t just mean a person who has very little.. the Greek word means “a person who is completely destitute, and without anything.”

 

 

What seems to be meant here, is that Jesus is offering us blessing and joy and peace… a peace that the people and events and the shallow promises of this world and the tragedies of this world cannot touch…and cannot match….//   no matter what happens… // the faithful disciple will never lose the inner blessing that God is offering them….  

 

It can be translated as “Oh, the utter bliss of the one who has realised their utter helplessness…  their complete poverty…. And who has put their WHOLE trust and all their hope in God alone….   For they have realised that only in doing this, can they give God that total dependence and obedience that will make them a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.  ..

 

Oh, the irremovable joy of the one who is so poor that they are detached from all things…   for they KNOW from bitter experience, that material things do not have it in them to btinh happiness or security …  and so he become attached to God alone.. and to God’s kingdom which will never tarnish or pass away…[i]

 

Interestingly. Commentator William Barclay also says that the language used of this teaching indicates that “Jesus used to teach the disciples in this way. “  So, this sermon on the mount is not the first time or the last time Jesus would speak on this… It was more like the content of his regular and constant teaching.. it was a distillation of his key message.

 

“Oh, the blessings upon the one who mourns…  like who who mourns for the dead…   who cries out in utter devestation….. and with nothing but hope…. For lost loved ones..  for the suffering of others… and who sorrows for their sinfulness like someone who weeps in utter loss….  They will receive God’s comfort… their sorrow can be comforted by nothing less than God’s own love…”.  

 

And so on these beautiful beatitudes go… //   we could spend a lifetime reflecting upon their meaning…  

 

These teachings are not telling us to put up with our lot …  rather they give hope to all who are struggling.

 

Jesus is telling us where God’s heart is, and where God’s priorities are. God’s concern is for the poor, the struggling, the sorrowful, the meek, those struggling to support, free and forgive.

 

Also, Jesus is saying:  take heart. Those who are in these predicaments are very dear to God’s heart.  Those who are like this, have the openness and dependence on God that is needed to be able to inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

The situation people is in is terrible…  but the reliance and trust in God; the openness to God and to everyone is what Jesus asks of all……  (whether they be well-off or not……..  whether they are happy or sad…)… 

 

It is as though there is an implicit.. ‘woe to you’  in these words of Matthews Gospel….., (where, by contrast, Luke’s gospel spells them out explicitly, and literally) . By converse……Matthew only implies…  but surely they are there as the flipside of this teaching……..“woe to” those who are the cause of this grief and hardship described here…. //…  and woe to those whose hearts are so closed that they can’t see the real plight of those who are their brothers and sisters around them and who don’t act to do something about it.  Their “closed-ness” and (ironically)…their fortune can be a barrier to them seeing and acting….   and trusting in the Lord utterly, as is a pre-requisite for membership in the Kingdom.  They must be on their guard.

 

 

REFERENCES:

·        The historical, cultural and language insights into this weekend’s gospel have been very helpfully found in: THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

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Paul's Reflections Third Sunday of the Year - A. 23rd January, 2011

23rd  January, 2011      Third Sunday of the Year - A.

 

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In our prayers this weekend, we pray for the full recovery to health of Brian Lourigan who is very seriously ill in hospital in Brisbane…  (Brian is husband of Wendy Lourigan and father of Danny and his wife Chrissie), and families…

 

We  pray for the repose of the soul of Ruby Taylor, (late of Groundwater Lodge). Ruby is the mother of parishioner: Ashley taylor… and also the repose of the soul of Jane McKay, (late of Fairhaven) and also Jean Sheffield (late of Granville)> May they now be enjoying eternal rest in God’s house…

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“the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light! On those who live in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone.” 

 

This is a most beautiful and moving passage.  It brings hope and renewal to all who are burdened with pain, suffering, injustice, lack of the basics for living….  It brings hope and strength……

 

Christ is our foundations stone,  Christ is our hope and our light in times of darkness..   Christ is our source of unity.

 

Being followers of Christ, as St Paul points out,  is a personal and community based relationship with Jesus Christ. Our discipleship is about (first and foremost) not slogans and charismatic leaders, or even programmes, but it is about the person and values and message of Jesus.  

 

Our following of Jesus is about the complex, real and deep message of Jesus.  It is not (merely) about paraphrased. Generalised or watered down or generally held popular views of what Jesus is about.  Rather, it’s an ongoing journey of discover and deepening our understanding and relationship with the Person of Jesus, and who he is and who he calls us to be.

 

As Christians and even as good citizens of the community, we have to be wary of all kinds of catchphrases and slogans and clichés and simplistic assessments of who Jesus is.  In some way, we need to have a clear idea of who Jesus is and what he is on about, but a lot of damage can be done to neutralise his message if we buy-in too deeply to generalisations and ‘glosses’. For example, if a person were to ask us “ what is Jesus message, “  we could reply…  Jesus basically came to tell us to love one another and love God.

 

That is true, but then we have to ask ourselves, what do we mean by love in the context of who he is, his message, his values and teachings.   If by love we mean letting everyone do what they want and never challenging or inviting people to go deeper, then I think we have settled for a ‘clichéd’ definition of both the word love and also a cliché of who God is.

 

One of the biggest fears I have, and it has been borne out on various occasions in dialogue with people who are not necessarily Christian but who have a strong idea of what Christians should do and who they are and how they should act. I have frequently added the qualifying statement…   ‘we are called to love, as Jesus Loved. Jesus was not a doormat for everyone to walk over and take advantage of. His definition of love and acting by love does not mean licence to do whatever one wants and letting people do and be and say whatever moves them.  Jesus was no doormat, and neither should his followers be.  

 

“I thought you guys were supposed to be Christians. I thought you guys are supposed to love.”   One hears that kind of thing from time to time, (usually said by someone who did not get what they expected or demanded).  Parents hear that kind of statement a lot, I suspect, from children who have yet to learn that sometimes saying ‘no’ is the most loving thing a person can do. 

 

Fortunately it is not other people who will judge whether we have loved as Jesus does… it is Jesus himself.  He was regularly criticised for doing and saying and teaching things that did not (in others opinions) match up with the religious definition of faithful, obedient or loving, but (as we know all too well) who were they to tell God the Son how he should be faithful to his Heavenly Father. They were the ones who just didn’t get it and sadly never would!!! Jesus would (at times) get very distressed and at times exasperated and even angry when people (by their actions)  violated the inner point and values of God’s kingdom, and then justified it with false beliefs that they were just doing God’s will and being obedient to God’s law and God’s desire.  Jesus did what God desired, we don’t always do that.

 

Only those who watched, listened and learnt from Jesus and stayed very close to him and absorbed his values, would truly understand why he said and did and refrained from doing what he did in his lifetime. 

 

It is possible to call oneself a Christian all one’s life and yet not really ever come to know the person, meaning, value and priorities of Jesus.  It is shocking but true. If that is so, though, they are Christian in name but not fact. Or to be more precise, they are living without fully realising the fullness of their status as a beloved child of God and brother or sister of Jesus, the beloved son of the heavenly father.

 

Whilst God does not grant us pure license in this world….  He nevertheless gives us the gift of true freedom….  Freedom to become what God intends for us.. to be a free, loved, full member of God’s family….   It is so sad to witness, (far too often),  incidents when we accept the words of this promise but don’t act on them…..   when we say we believe in God as an unconditionally loving parent, and then act as if God is a parent who can never be satisfied with us, who is ready to punish and find fault in our every action…..    We proclaim that God sees with the heart, not purely external appearances.. but we can be enslaved by living up to appearances and worried that our actions might be judged more strongly than our hearts….  And we respond in ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’ instead of from the heart with a true regard for what is really best for us and for others.

 

The teachings and practices of the Church are helpful to us to pinpoint key aspects of Jesus’ values, teachings and actions. They flow from who Jesus is and what he does. At the same time, we must strive to come to a more deeper understanding of Jesus and a person and the values and principles that all flow from who he is and what he was called to do. 

 

Jesus called his disciples and they left everything to follow him.  Not many of us have taken this call so literally that we have left behind everything : home, family, possessions, job, and so on….   (everything!)  in order to faithfully follow this most amazing teacher (who, himself had no particular place to call his ‘home’).  However, we are all called to leave behind anything that holds us back from following Jesus and responding to the demands of our discipleship of Christ, in our lives and in our actions.

 

This includes letting go of any restrictive and narrow views of who Jesus is and what his vision is for us and the world… 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

Paul's Reflections homily: 16th January, 2011 Second Sunday of the Year - A.

16th January, 2011      Second Sunday of the Year - A.

 

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A Message from Fr Paul:

 

Thanks to everyone for last week and the way you generously and efficiently responded to the realities caused by the floods… 

 

It is absolutely stunning and hard to comprehend that three quarters of the State has been covered in flood water and devastated by the effects of it.

 

It is truly inspiring to see the wonderful side of humanity come out in people at times of tragedy and disaster.  Many times the message that goes out is that the world is a self-centred and selfish place….  But in times like this, we are reminded that the vast majority of people are compassionate, generous, brave and willing to do anything to help. The sight o complete strangers pitching in to help struggling people give hope to the heart. 

 

The generous response of people throughout this community and the state, and in fact the world, (including donations from the Pope’s peter’s pence charity)  has been wonderful.  People have been donating in big numbers to both the Premier’s flood appeal and also the St Vincent de Paul flood appeal.  If you haven’t had a chance to donate, there may still be Vinnies envelopes … or just drop in a blank envelope marked VInnies flood appeal, or send it in to the parish office.

 

Let us continue to pray for all those affected by the floods.  We keep in mind those who have died  .. and those who mourn them.   We pray for all the communities who have been just smashed by this flooding and its side-effects…. And we pray to our Lord to give strength to all who face the cleanup and rebuilding and healing.   May we stand ready to respond to whatever the Spirit calls us to do, as instruments of God’s love.

 

The second reading has St Paul writing with affection to the community of believers in the church in Corinth. It is a reminder that we are all united with eachother, and not even distance or time or culture separates us from our brothers and sisters everywhere in the world..  Like St Paul, we are united in prayer and in the Spirit with people everywhere and with the Heavenly community.  The grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ stays with us and binds us together in good times and bad.

 

In the Gospel, St John  the Baptist declares…  “look! There is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”    It’s a timely reminder. We need Jesus. We need saving..  Sadly, we humans are not the final authority on everything. We are not the masters of our own domain (and that can be extremely frightening and unsettling, because we would like to have a large measure of control over our lives, it’s a natural instinct for self-preservation).  But, the events of these last weeks remind us that although we are not helpless, nor ought we ever just allow ourselves to be tossed helplessly through the events of life, it is also very comforting and peace-giving to acknowledge that we are not all powerful and that we need God and we need to be saved by God. We are utterly helpless without God’s saving guidance and help.  

 

I am reminded of a painting that someone once did… it was entitled “perfect peace”  but it was a painting of a storm-tossed mountainside.  What is ‘peaceful about this… it looks anything but peaceful’   (people would naturally say!).  But a close look shows a small bird nestling in a little cave….   Sheltered from the storms that rage uncontrolled around us.    It’s a challenging and beautiful image…  peace comes not from stilling the things outside us, that we really have no control over…. But from taking shelter and receiving inner peace of heart no matter what storms rage around us….  Its not easy….. but at times it’s the only thing that gets people through…  its not a promise that everything will go right… because sometimes everything doesn’t… it seems to all go wrong….  But our God walks with us, and we are instruments of God’s compassion and care….   And that can make all the difference…

May God be with everyone as they rebuild..  and support eachother and may we cherish the values that last…

 

God bless and protect us all, with his peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections Baptism of Our Lord - A. 9th January, 2011

9th January, 2011      Baptism of Our Lord - A

 

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The Baptism of the Lord is about the revelation of Jesus as God’s only Son, with whom the Heavenly Father is well pleased. And then we are instructed to ‘listen to him.’ …. To learn from him……  to get to know him….. and watch his life… his actions….  His values….

 

By seeing Jesus, we SEE the Father….  And come to know God’s life and values.

 

As it mentions in the newsletter:

Here are some of these family resemblances as revealed in this week's readings?

The Father and the Son are both:

· Loving as well as beloved

· The source of generosity, justice, and peace

· Actively doing good for those in need

· Healers of the oppressed

· Animated by the Holy Spirit

· Committed to the well-being of the people

· A source of light for those in darkness

· Liberators of prisoners

· Obedient to love

· Righteous     

· Willing to pour themselves out for others

· Yearning for our salvation

If we want to know how God treats sinners, we only have to see how Jesus dealt with sinners, the way he related to them.

 

If we want to know how God feels about those who are being treated unjustly, people who are being left out….   And the poor, the sick and the widows and orphans……  then we see Jesus … in the midst of the people…. WITH THEM……  healing, forgiving, …  feeding…   speaking out against injustice….  And getting his hands dirty…. 

Living….  Dying….   Giving….  Among the people, as one of the people…..  and never sidestepping any human suffering.

 

The baptism of Our Lord is also about Vocation. Jesus mission to reveal the fullness of God’s love and to fulfil God’s plan of establishing the Kingdom… is revealed at Jesus’ own baptism.  This is the start and the commissioning of his earthly ministry….. his public ministry.

 

For us, whether we were baptised as a Baby… or later as an adult………(whether we were baptised in the Catholic Church, or the Anglican Church or the Lutheran church… and so on…..)…. There is only one baptism… and we all share in it… IT is the baptism INTO Christ…. Where we too are declared beloved Sons and daughters of God (forever!)….   And where we are commissioned to live our vocation (whatever field that may be in) as disciples of Jesus… as daughters and sons of God….  And to show God’s love and values and priorities by our own lives, actions, words and choices….  And to be instruments of God’s work to establish the Kingdom of God in its fullness…

 

We do this by staying very close to Jesus and constantly reflecting, praying and learning from the life and actions of Jesus…  God’s beloved son..

 

 

(p.s please consider prayerfully, contributing to the SVdP flood relief appeal we do at the gifts time….)

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·       FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

Paul's Reflections Special Message.Update. Baptism of the Lord

9th January, 2011. Baptism of Our Lord. A.

A Message from Fr PAUL:

Hello everyone. My sincere apologies to everyone as I am stuck in
Brisbane after the Mary river flooded and cut off the highway at Gympie.

I drove all the way up to Gympie from Brisbane after a wedding practice, but the
flood waters caused me to have to turn back.

It could be a day or two before it is clear. I pray that people are not
affected badly by the floods in Maryborough and surrounds.

I have a wedding of two Maryborough parishioners, Cuong and Thuy Pham,
at St Stephens Cathedral, Brisbane, on Sunday afternoon, so now that I am
back in Brisbane I am at least relieved that I was not prevented from
being able to celebrate their wedding, (which would have happened if I had
not already been in Brisbane). So that is at least something.

Just a reminder that Aramara church is not on this Sunday the 9th
January.

It is scheduled for Sunday the 16th January at 6pm, but if flooding
continues that Aramara church will again be cancelled. Please contact
the parish closer to the date to save inconvenience.

Thank you to everyone who helped to arrange for liturgies of the word
with communion at short notice. I hope to be back as soon as possible.
Thanks for your understanding,

Sincerely,
Fr Paul.

(There is a special third collection this weekend in support of the
Saint Vincent de Paul Queensland Flood disaster appeal) . I invite the
collectors to take up the ordinary first collection (for the support of priests of
the archdiocese, at this point.. and the special flood appeal collection
will be taken up at the gifts time). There are envelopes in the seats. There
were limited envelopes given, so if there aren't enough, please just put
the money in the plate or, if you like, please put it into an envelope
and return it next week. The floods are an ongoing disaster and our support
is gratefully received. )

The Baptism of the Lord is about the revelation of Jesus as God's only
son, with whom the Heavenly Father is well pleased. And then, we are
instructed to 'listen to him.

We are requested by the Father to learn from Jesus, to get to know him.. and watch his life. His actions. His values. By seeing Jesus, we see the Father… and come to know God's life and
values.

As it mentions in the newsletter:
Here are some of these family resemblances as revealed in this week's
readings? The Father and the Son are both:
* Loving as well as beloved
* The source of generosity, justice, and peace
* Actively doing good for those in need
* Healers of the oppressed
* Animated by the Holy Spirit
* Committed to the well-being of the people
* A source of light for those in darkness
* Liberators of prisoners
* Obedient to love
* Righteous
* Willing to pour themselves out for others
* Yearning for our salvation

If we want to know how God treats sinners, we only have to see how Jesus
dealt with sinner, the way he related to them.
If we want to know how God feels about those who are being treated
unjustly, and people who are being left out and the poor, the sick, the
widows and the orphans, then we see Jesus and how he responded to them.
Jesus is always to be found right in the middle of people and their
lives.WITH THEM healing, forgiving, feeding, speaking out against
injustice.. Getting his hands dirty. . Living, dying, giving.
among the people, as one of the people. Never sidestepping any human
suffering.

The Baptism of the Lord is also about VOCATION. Jesus' mission to reveal
the fullness of God's love amd to fulfil God's plan of establishing the
kingdom is revealed AT Jesus'own baptism. This is the beginning of and
the commissioning for Jesus' earthly ministry, (his public ministry).
Whether we are baptised as a baby, or later as an adult. / and whether
we were baptised in the Catholic Church, or the Anglican Church or the
Lutheran church, and so on). There is only ONE baptism, and it is
baptism INTO Christ.

In this baptism, we (too) are declared beloved sons and daughters of God
(forever)!!

In this baptism, we are commissioned with the vocation to live as
disciples of Jesus and live as children of God. We each have a different field of
work, but the one vocation to be friends and disciples of Jesus. We are
commissioned to show God's love in our own lives, actions, words and
choices. We are to be instruments of God's love, to establish the
Kingdom of God in its fullness.

We do this by staying very close to Jesus and constantly reflecting,
praying and studying and learning from the life, actions and priorities
of Jesus, who is God's beloved Son.

(special collection for the flood will be taken up at the gifts time,
thanks).

++++
References:
Fr Paul Kelly.

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Paul's Reflections 2nd January, 2011. The Epiphany. Year A

2nd January, 2011. The Epiphany. Year A

 

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One gets the impression that the Wise men’s greetings and respectful visit to King Herod, was nothing compared to the honour and worship that they accorded the new-born baby Jesus. And rightly so.

 

Herod was very, very concerned by what he was hearing. People everywhere were saying that the sign of a star moving across the skies…  was a sure sign of political disaster for him…. And now there was talk that the coming messiah, a King, had been born. Next, foreign wise men come to pay tribute. It could not look worse for Herod.

 

Little did Herod and many others fail to realise, Jesus was not coming to take over an earthly kingdom. His kingship had nothing to do with the human concept of kingship, power and dominion. However, he was the king of all creation, and his birth was bad news to all who lived and acted by the old ways of privilege, domination, threat, control and ignoring the plight of the poor and downcast. 

 

Herod was well known for his ruthlessness. He had even killed two relatives in the past, who he felt was a threat to his power. So, he would have no hesitation in killing non-relatives who were a perceived threat to his power.

 

The Wise men, how many there were we are not sure. We know that there are three types of gift.. but the bible does not say there were only three wise men.   Some traditions say there were many more…  even up to twelve. 

 

In any case… the presents they give to Jesus are not just what is given to an earthly King… their presents indicate that they know that this is God whom they are worshipping. Gold for a King…. But frankinsense for a high priest…. And myhrr for someone who will suffer and die..  These foreign people of a different place, culture and religion realise that Jesus is the revelation of God… the King of all the earth and all heaven… and is to be worshipped, and not just bowed to….   Certainly Herod got none of this treatment……  It takes the breath away when we read the gospel that Herod says he too wants to go and do Jesus homage… when we all realise he probably would have had such hate and fear in his heart that he would have surely tried to kill jesus himself if he got anywhere near him… the wise men are warned of this and do not return to tell herod of Jesus’ whearabouts….

 

This feast is known is ‘little christmas’  because it recalls the revelation of God made human to the world….   It’s also the first and most ancient feast of Christ the King……. 

 

As we celebrate this fest of the Manifestation of God’s presence amongst us….  Let us ask ourselves these questions…

 

As mentioned in today’s newsletter:

Let us reflect on some of the points of the Gospel today:

.        The Magi asked for directions and followed them. Many people don’t like to ask for directions. Fewer care to take directions, preferring to follow our own authority.

•        The magi were men of means and purpose who preferred to be led by a higher authority than merely their own.

•        The Epiphany invites us to consider how ready we are to take the journey of faith.

 

In this Feast of the Epiphany:

• What more can I do to bring light to darkness in my own spirit as well as the hearts and minds of those around me?
• What "gifts" do I have to offer, and how can I best use them? Do I do everything I can to welcome people, just as the magi from the East were welcomed at the cradle of the infant Jesus?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          Prepare the word recources

·          OSV – Priest notes on the feast.