EASTER WEEK FOUR. YEAR A. 15TH MAY, 2011.
This weekend at the different masses, we have our young ones who have begun their preparation to receive their Confirmation and first holy communion …..
this Gospel we heard today is very special because it shows us that we are all friends of Jesus…. He is our Good shepherd and he walks along with us along our whole life journey… He knows us by name…. he leads us by safe paths…. He cares about what happens to us…… He is always interested to hear us tell him of our hopes, our fears… our disappointments and our failures… and he is there to reassure us and give us strength and to assure us that if we keep trusting in him, the love of God has the final word in our life…. and that last word is the promise that we are beloved sons and daughters of God…. forever …..
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: (in fact… the answers given in our first class last Wednesday night was very inspiring….. because the young people (in their answers to questions) reminded us that there are actually more than seven gifts that the Spirit gives us… In fact….., God gives us the gifts we need to be good friends and disciples of Jesus….. and the seven traditional gifts of the Spirit are the core of those gifts……
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…
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(extra):
This weekend, the gospel speaks of the image of the Sheepfold: That they may have life and have it to the full. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Christ’s offering of his whole self and even his life (down to the very last drop of his blood) is remembered by us at each and every Eucharist. In our Liturgy we constantly speak of this mysterious thing called the “Paschal Mystery”, which is actually about the mystery of Jesus’ life, suffering, death and Resurrection- All for the salvation of people. In every Eucharistic prayer, this Paschal Mystery is recalled and remembered. The word used for this remembering and for this living memorial sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, is the rather daunting Greek word: “anamnesis”, (which is a word that means …: “remembering”).
This weekend I will be using the new Eucharistic Prayer of Reconciliation I.
I have been speaking in the newsletter and in homily reflections about the new missal……. And its implementation… (there is an extensive new and updated section on our parish website… which is noted on the front page of the newsletter…. www.marycatholic.com..... Esp: http://www.parishes.bne.catholic.net.au/maryborough/missal.htm .
It explains in detail the changes and their history of development. It also has an extensive glossary of words and their meaning…..
Interestingly…. some of the changes turn out to be more corrections … Since the introduction of the post Vatican II updated Latin version of the 1969 missal, we have been using the English translation of that Missal, for the last 41 years. The new translation is actually a more strict translation of what was virtually all there in the Latin text of 1969. …. They have simply gone back and translated what was already there! … in a close translation rather than some paraphrasing that occurred in the previous version….. As we mentioned in previous weeks, some of the language might be different in this new translation, such as the prayer to the Father that he will “spur us on to possess a more abundant life.” But, really, this and many other sentences are really beautiful. That sentence is is a beautiful and active request of God and it is at the heart of what we seek: that God will encourage us and inspire us and keep us going…. /…. May God “spur us on to possess a more abundant life” …. //.
Christ came to reconcile us to God and to one another. This is a major part of his mission. This Eucharistic prayer, (but also all the Eucharistic Prayers) touch upon this.
The beauty and the mystery of the Mass is that it is not just a meal of fellowship and unity, it is also, (in a very powerful way), a “Sacrifice”; Eucharist is the re-presentation of the once-and-for-all Sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
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