Homily Nineteenth Sunday of the Year - B 12th August, 2012
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This weekend, all parishes throughout Queensland are holding a special appeal to support the men who are preparing for priesthood at Holy Spirit Seminary, Banyo. These men will be future priests in Queensland.
* The prayers and financial support of the people of the Catholic Church in Queensland help sustain these men to priesthood.
* We are currently experiencing remarkable growth in the number of men entering the Seminary.
* Today, 31 men are in various stages of formation for priesthood. Of these, 23 men are for Queensland dioceses, and eight are studying for others.
* The seminary is full – (three years ahead of original predictions) - and another six men from the Archdiocese of Brisbane alone, are expected to enter next year. This is great news. However, it comes at a price – more men mean higher costs.
* It costs around $30,000 per man per year to educate, house, feed, and clothe – providing him a reasonable level of comfort and ensuring the best quality formation program affordable.
* Last year the cost to Holy Spirit Seminary Queensland to provide education and formation, and everyday living expenses for our seminarians was around one million dollars. The appeal last year raised just over $390,000 – less than half – towards these costs.
* The archdiocese is asking us, "Will you help us raise more this year?"
* I have been asked to share a personal thanks from Fr Nigel Sequeira, who was a Holy Spirit Seminarian from 2006-2011, and is currently associate pastor at Grovely Parish. He says, "Your prayers and financial support helped me to live and study at the Holy Spirit Seminary and have affirmed me in my vocation. Thank you!"
* On behalf of the Seminary Rector, Monsignor Anthony Randazzo, the Bishops of Queensland, and all of the seminarians, thank you for your gifts of support, your faith, and your prayers.
* We all need to support our seminarians. Please give generously today by using the envelopes in the pews. Or take one home and send your gift in the postage paid envelope.
* Your gift is an investment in the future of the Catholic Church in Queensland. Thank you.
(Gifts over $2 to the Seminary Building Fund are tax deductible. For phone donations please call (07) 3336 9406)
(for more info on vocations to the Priesthood: http://www.catholicpriesthood.com/)
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The readings for this weekend are inspiring and beautiful, and continue the clear Eucharistic themes from the Gospel.
Jesus is the true bread from Heaven. He is the bread of life. Anyone who eats this Bread from Heaven will have eternal life. Jesus gives us true nourishment to continue on the path of life and discipleship.
There is a line in the first reading that really strikes me. The prophet Elijah is physically, spiritually and emotionally exhausted. He is ready to give up. It all seems too much, and too hard. So, God sends an Angel to help him. The Angel wakes him up twice and says " get up and eat, or the journey will be too long for you." I think that is a very telling piece of advice. Following God is a difficult and challenging task. It is not an easy path, even if it is the path of life. It is possible, with God's help to complete this journey of discipleship and follow the path that God has set for us, but it needs the training of an athlete. And it needs nourishment and strength from God. What this is saying is You WILL NOT be strong enough, you will certainly NOT be resilient and nourished enough UNLESS you take the support and nourishment that God asks of you and offers you. This is our task, as well as God's gift.
If we think that we can be effective disciples of Jesus who do what JESUS wants and not merely what WE might want;… and if we think we can do the task of discipleship that Jesus has set each and every one of us, WITHOUT making use of the nourishment that Jesus gives us, we are kidding ourselves… The nourishment Jesus gives us is regular Eucharist, and regular nourishment and challenge from listening to God's word in the scriptures. The nourishment we need to take is also regular prayer life, in community and also privately. The food we need to take or the journey will be too long for us, is the support and challenge of the community of faith and also the nourishment from the person, message and values of Jesus.
In addition. The second reading, From Saint Paul to the Ephesians, is very special. It really encourages us to become a people who have been transformed as disciples of Christ, in our actions and attitudes, as well as in name. The quality of our discipleship will show itself in the way we act. Saint Paul encourages the community:
"Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Be friends with one another, and kind, (forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ).
Try, then, to imitate God, (as children of his that he loves), and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place…." (Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2, Jerusalem Bible).
Oh, what a wonderful, life-giving community we are called into. And it is attained not by sheer willpower and determination, but by regular nourishment and refreshment by God's grace, that is found and given to us in the sacraments and in God's word. This allows God's grace to grow in us, and crowd-out anything that is not consistent with the Gospel.
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REFERENCES:
· FR. PAUL W. KELLY
