Homily Thirtieth Sunday of the Year A . - Sunday, October 29, 2017
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26
Psalm: 17:2-4. 47. 51. “I love you Lord, my strength.”
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Thirtieth Sunday of the Year A . - 10/17/2017 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-30a (Edition: 54 )
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[Gospel values included in the readings: Love God, Love Neighbour as self. Justice, especially to the stranger and outcast]
“There are many examples of how, even after the busiest of days, Jesus would go up into the hills, to a lonely place, and spend the night in prayer to His heavenly Father. So, it is fair to say, Jesus’ whole life was to worship and praise the Father.
There are also many examples of how Jesus spent himself in complete service of others.
His whole life was an act of service and love to his neighbour… all in need around him…..
These two complete realities must be two sides of the same coin…. And are not in any way in contradiction.
In fact the great saint John Chrysostom once said: “I cannot believe in the salvation of those people who do not work for the salvation of their neighbours.”
Another great monk was once heard to say to his brothers: (when they focused too much on rules and not the heart of the gospel message….) -“My friends, you have torn the gospel of Christ in two….//.
There are two great commandments: - show your Love for God, by how you love your neighbour (just as you would love and care for yourself). (or perhaps it is more accurate to say there really is only one commandment to love.. which has two facets to it….)
In any case……Splitting up these two commands seriously distorts the gospel…… there are those who would emphasise worship of God to the point where doing anything practical for those in practical need seems to become an optional extra……. this is not the gospel of Jesus Christ……///
The other extreme is not right either…. there are people who are so caught up in social justice and practical action that they lose sight of the fact that Christian justice, (Christian charity) always flows out of our relationship with God and that we are all God’s children… and that it is not only our human actions… but God’s will that is important…. so if someone emphasises social response and neglects prayer, worship and a sense of faith in God who is the author and Sustainer of us all…….. as essential as practical care for those in need is, it would lose its focus if we were to ever disconnect it to worship and prayer….. (it would become something merely humanistic…. And it could reflect a faulty sense that humans are their own saviours and can do all things themselves without reference to God…..)
Jesus shows us that both prayer and action are possible and that both are necessary….. Again… I must say, I always feel that the Catholic groups of lay people such as St Vincent de Paul society, or Care and Concern, The Catholic Ladies Group, or the Knights, ….. (to name but a few but not to exclude the countless other groups that do the great work)… are wonderful examples and expressions of both important aspects: Prayer and Action.
They certainly focus on practical action: - helping those in need, those who are hungry, seeking shelter, needing clothing, and also they visit people…. and also, integral to this, they meet regularly to pray and reflect on Christ’s gospel… This is absolutely vital – Connection to the person of Christ makes sense of and empowers their care for their neighbour….
There are many other groups and individuals who model this,..// and we give thanks for them all.
In Jesus’ great commandment – which is truly a “masterpiece of summing up thousands of biblical rules and regulations and observances into a few amazing words………to enshrine the very heart of its meaning: …”Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength… and love your neighbour as yourself……..It becomes clear that every other person is truly our neighbour and especially when the person is in need. We must be loving neighbours to all people who come into our lives. No one can be excluded from being our neighbour.
Love of neighbour is at the heart of serving God /and being faithful to what God is asking of us.// Love of neighbour is not simply an optional part of our Christianity.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26
Psalm: 17:2-4. 47. 51. “I love you Lord, my strength.”
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40
++++
Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Thirtieth Sunday of the Year A . - 10/17/2017 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-30a (Edition: 54 )
+++++
[Gospel values included in the readings: Love God, Love Neighbour as self. Justice, especially to the stranger and outcast]
“There are many examples of how, even after the busiest of days, Jesus would go up into the hills, to a lonely place, and spend the night in prayer to His heavenly Father. So, it is fair to say, Jesus’ whole life was to worship and praise the Father.
There are also many examples of how Jesus spent himself in complete service of others.
His whole life was an act of service and love to his neighbour… all in need around him…..
These two complete realities must be two sides of the same coin…. And are not in any way in contradiction.
In fact the great saint John Chrysostom once said: “I cannot believe in the salvation of those people who do not work for the salvation of their neighbours.”
Another great monk was once heard to say to his brothers: (when they focused too much on rules and not the heart of the gospel message….) -“My friends, you have torn the gospel of Christ in two….//.
There are two great commandments: - show your Love for God, by how you love your neighbour (just as you would love and care for yourself). (or perhaps it is more accurate to say there really is only one commandment to love.. which has two facets to it….)
In any case……Splitting up these two commands seriously distorts the gospel…… there are those who would emphasise worship of God to the point where doing anything practical for those in practical need seems to become an optional extra……. this is not the gospel of Jesus Christ……///
The other extreme is not right either…. there are people who are so caught up in social justice and practical action that they lose sight of the fact that Christian justice, (Christian charity) always flows out of our relationship with God and that we are all God’s children… and that it is not only our human actions… but God’s will that is important…. so if someone emphasises social response and neglects prayer, worship and a sense of faith in God who is the author and Sustainer of us all…….. as essential as practical care for those in need is, it would lose its focus if we were to ever disconnect it to worship and prayer….. (it would become something merely humanistic…. And it could reflect a faulty sense that humans are their own saviours and can do all things themselves without reference to God…..)
Jesus shows us that both prayer and action are possible and that both are necessary….. Again… I must say, I always feel that the Catholic groups of lay people such as St Vincent de Paul society, or Care and Concern, The Catholic Ladies Group, or the Knights, ….. (to name but a few but not to exclude the countless other groups that do the great work)… are wonderful examples and expressions of both important aspects: Prayer and Action.
They certainly focus on practical action: - helping those in need, those who are hungry, seeking shelter, needing clothing, and also they visit people…. and also, integral to this, they meet regularly to pray and reflect on Christ’s gospel… This is absolutely vital – Connection to the person of Christ makes sense of and empowers their care for their neighbour….
There are many other groups and individuals who model this,..// and we give thanks for them all.
In Jesus’ great commandment – which is truly a “masterpiece of summing up thousands of biblical rules and regulations and observances into a few amazing words………to enshrine the very heart of its meaning: …”Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength… and love your neighbour as yourself……..It becomes clear that every other person is truly our neighbour and especially when the person is in need. We must be loving neighbours to all people who come into our lives. No one can be excluded from being our neighbour.
Love of neighbour is at the heart of serving God /and being faithful to what God is asking of us.// Love of neighbour is not simply an optional part of our Christianity.
Saint Paul, in the second reading says it very well….. We must take Christ as our model……… We must imitate Christ. In that imitation of Christ, we can find a whole way of living: gentleness yet strength in our dealings with others, understanding and acceptance of others with a clear vision of what is right and what is wrong.
Jesus did not just accept everything as good, or anything goes. He clearly pointed out what was not good. However, Jesus managed to do this whilst consistently keeping his eyes on the primary value of the gospel... love... received and given. That is a difficult model to imitate. Our Lord did not focus on righteousness for its own sake... his emphasis was on love and compassion and the good of all.... anything he did, it was primarily motivated by the love that flowed out of him as God the son. This is another example of the cross of Jesus, the suffering that comes from living in right relationship with the Father and one another, whilst always keeping front-and-centre the point of this way of living....love, reverence and compassion. because in the end its all about LOVE - of God, shown in how we love our neighbour.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
Abbot’s Homily, The Monastery of Christ in the Desert Homily for October 22 2008.
Flor McCarthy. Sundays and Holy Day Liturgies. Year A.
Gutierrez, Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year.
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Archive of homilies and reflections is at: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul’s homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Jesus did not just accept everything as good, or anything goes. He clearly pointed out what was not good. However, Jesus managed to do this whilst consistently keeping his eyes on the primary value of the gospel... love... received and given. That is a difficult model to imitate. Our Lord did not focus on righteousness for its own sake... his emphasis was on love and compassion and the good of all.... anything he did, it was primarily motivated by the love that flowed out of him as God the son. This is another example of the cross of Jesus, the suffering that comes from living in right relationship with the Father and one another, whilst always keeping front-and-centre the point of this way of living....love, reverence and compassion. because in the end its all about LOVE - of God, shown in how we love our neighbour.
+++++
References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
Abbot’s Homily, The Monastery of Christ in the Desert Homily for October 22 2008.
Flor McCarthy. Sundays and Holy Day Liturgies. Year A.
Gutierrez, Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year.
+++
Archive of homilies and reflections is at: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul’s homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Thirtieth Sunday of the Year A .
The Lord be with you.
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Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to the Father and to one another: Lord, have mercy//You heal the wounds of our sin and division: Christ, have mercy// You intercede for us with the Father: Lord, have mercy//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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let us pray (for the grace to do God's will)
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Memorial Acclamation
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sundays Ordinary IV p.30
Eucharistic Prayer II p.56
Communion side. pwk: RH
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Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
The Lord be with you.
+++++++++++++
Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to the Father and to one another: Lord, have mercy//You heal the wounds of our sin and division: Christ, have mercy// You intercede for us with the Father: Lord, have mercy//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
++++|
let us pray (for the grace to do God's will)
+++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sundays Ordinary IV p.30
Eucharistic Prayer II p.56
Communion side. pwk: RH
++++
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
