Homily Twenty-second Sunday of the Year C - Sunday, September 1, 2019 (Fathers Day in Australia)
Ecclesiasticus 3:19-21,30-31
Responsorial Psalm. Psalm 67:4-7,10-11. "God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor."
Second reading. Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24
Gospel. Luke 14:1,7-14
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Twenty-second Sunday of the Year C - Sunday, September 1, 2019 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/22c-faith-hope-and-love-ep-175/s-0eKVA (EPISODE: 175)
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Father's day is celebrated at different times of the year around the world...
In Ireland, Uk, India, Mexico, and USA and many other nations, its the third Sunday in June...
whilst, in many catholic nations, since the Middle Ages, it coincided with St Joseph's feast ... and Italy and Spain..and others still celebrate it then.....
but in Australia, it is this weekend... the first Sunday of September....
whenever it is, we give thanks for all Fathers... for their love, care and generosity... We pray that God grants them joy in their family and friends, and health and strength.
For all fathers who have passed into eternal life.. may God give them a permanent place at the heavenly feast... for all their goodness and kindness...
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Prologue: Isn't it interesting that some lessons from Our Lord, almost everyone remembers and observes - for example, this weekend's gospel.... about not taking the best seat... but taking the last seat at the table; lest that "better seat" is reserved for someone else... // that lesson, I reckon, is very much observed.. and that is great... What is a little sad, though, is that people remember that part of the message but don't always see that Our Lord was teaching this lesson, not so that people would be considered wise when invited to dinner... but, he was using this as an example of how we should live in our daily lives.... Sadly many people make sure they don't look like they are prideful by assuming that they are the most important person at a dinner table, but not so many take the same care to make sure they don't act, in their workplace, in their home and in the community, as if they are top cat ! - above all others!
Our Lord, invites us to a healthy humility, and an openness to others.... giving and helping those most in need and acting not in in a way calculated to gain favours.... //God is generous and giving... and Our Lord is the most important person to ever walk the earth; and yet, he became servant of all... and stripped himself of all that he was rightly entitled to.. for the sake of the Kingdom... this is Faith, hope and love.
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Happy Father's Day to all our Dad's in the community. May God bless you and grant you peace and joy. And we pray for all Dads who have gone before us, that they now are enjoying the peace, joy and mercy of the eternal banquet kingdom.
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This weekend's gospel shows us some contrasting attitudes:
"What's in it for me?"
"What can I get out of this?"
"What can this person do for me?"
People in Our Lord's day asked this kind of questions often. And indeed, these kinds of attitudes are still quite common in this day and age.
God must be so disappointed in this kind of mindset. Because this kind of thinking is just so alien to God's way of thinking.
God's ways are the opposite of this:
God is the most loving of Fathers- Only wanting to give and keep giving for his beloved children - to encourage them, to guide them, to nourish and provide for them, to give them what they need in due season, to protect and defend them,
God asks ....
Not; "What's in it for me?" or "What can I get out of this?" or "What can this person do for me?"
but rather;… God asks:
"How shall I help others?"
"What shall I give to this one?"
"What shall I do for this person?"
Today's gospel is about Jesus teaching us the virtue of humility…. But….
"The challenge today is not about watching others practice humility but rather focusing upon whether we ourselves are willing to be truly humble.
Truly humble people are loved so much. They make life easier for people around them, no matter how 'great' they might be considered by others. Humble people take up the burdens and responsibilities of the community without drawing attention to themselves.
Humble people serve others with joy, without counting the cost or expecting payback.1
Humility is really about being honest about how things really are between us and God. We are truly humbled when we live the truth of the fact that all good things come from God…. And that if we do any good in this world, it is ultimately thanks to God's grace and guidance, rather than by any merit we have achieved on our own. This can be a jarring way of looking at things because modern society seems to promote the opposite worldview to this.
If we help the poor or include the marginalized, and when we serve others without counting the cost, it is not as if we are doing something particularly praiseworthy - but rather we are just living the way God acts all the time. God always acts out of love (by his nature). God does not base his actions on duty, and nor does God give back according to how God is treated. Rather, our God responds out of compassion and love. God is not punitively reactive but generously proactive.
The message of today's gospel could be summed up by a saying the Jewish rabbis would have known well.. ….. … " The best kind of giving is when the giver does not know who they are giving and the receiver does not know from whom they are receiving."[2] Because then it is a pure gift. It is "giving simply for the sake of itself.. with no self-interest and no possible expectation of return.
Jesus wants to totally break the kind of mindset revealed in the following saying: …. "hospitality is a lively sense of the favours to come."
Rather,
Hospitality and engagement with others is not for what it can gain.. but for including those who cannot presently participate by the rules and expectations of a calculating culture….
Also, in this gospel today…
"What Jesus is teaching are not fine points of etiquette or the best way to show table manners and the like. Rather, Jesus is promoting an interior attitude that really demonstrates where we stand, that is, do we consider ourselves to be the centre of the universe, or are we willing to be truly the servant of others?
The way of Christ is the latter, for the self-centred will end up lost, but those who serve others and open their hearts to all will find fulfilment. Such persons, (and we are invited to be among them), will gain everything needed for a life on fire for God and the things of God. As Jesus acted in his lifetime, so should the followers of Christ.
The so-called religious leaders of Jesus time had really gone off the point…. They sat there glaring at Jesus and trying to find fault with him when all they were really doing was ignoring those most in need, whilst hobnobbing with people who could benefit them.,..- in a direct contradiction to the whole message and emphasis of God's law and priorities.
All Jesus was doing was acting out of compassion, curing those in need and welcoming people considered to no value, who were actually very much cherished children of God.,……/….
Throughout history, it is a recurring mystery of human life. How do we get things so wrong, in our actions and attitudes…. Let us pray to Jesus that we are always given a wonderful sense of proportion, generosity and self-giving service, compassion and reverence towards our fellow person.....….and of course, an honest and deep-seated humility…
++++++++
References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
[1] Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abbot's homily (2010)
[2] Daily Study Bible. Luke. By William Barclay (1954)
[3] Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Fr. Christian Leisy, OSB (2010)
+++
Archive of homilies and reflections: 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.
NB - 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
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love, A time of Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul W. Kelly
Texts used in this programme are for the purposes of worship and prayer for listeners wherever you are.
Prayers and chants are taken from the English Translation of the Roman Missal, edition three, © 2010, The International commission on English in the liturgy.
Scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, by the national council of Churches of Christ, USA. , //adaptations to conform with Catholic liturgical norms, © 2009, by the same.
[{selected psalms } - ***Psalm verses are (also) taken from "The Psalms: A New Translation" ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.. **]
Prayers of the Faithful are adapted from Robert Borg's 1993 book " Together we pray". Published in Sydney Australia By E.J. Dwyer. (out of print).
{ "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -published 2011, Composed and Sung by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski
Featuring the….Gloria, The Creed, The Kyrie, The Mass parts, Psalms: http://www.ccwatershed.org/chabanel/ ]]] ] COPYRIGHT @ 2018 CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/Ralph_Sherwin_Videos/
"Faith, Hope and Love" theme Hymn: Words, based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, set to original music © 1996 by Paul W. Kelly.
For more details please visit http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au/
Contact us at paulwkelly68@gmail.com
Production by Kelly Enterprises Resources.
May God bless and keep you.
Twenty-second Sunday of the Year C
(Sunday, September 1, 2019)
(EPISODE: 175 )
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
+++++++++++++
{{May Our Lord's generosity inspire you. }}
Brothers and sisters, the Lord is full of love and mercy. And so, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us acknowledge our sins.
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sundays Ordinary III
Euch prayer two
Communion side. pwk: RH
++++
{thank you so much for taking this time with me to listen to God's word and for praising God for his goodness and care. }
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
but rather;… God asks:
"How shall I help others?"
"What shall I give to this one?"
"What shall I do for this person?"
Today's gospel is about Jesus teaching us the virtue of humility…. But….
"The challenge today is not about watching others practice humility but rather focusing upon whether we ourselves are willing to be truly humble.
Truly humble people are loved so much. They make life easier for people around them, no matter how 'great' they might be considered by others. Humble people take up the burdens and responsibilities of the community without drawing attention to themselves.
Humble people serve others with joy, without counting the cost or expecting payback.1
Humility is really about being honest about how things really are between us and God. We are truly humbled when we live the truth of the fact that all good things come from God…. And that if we do any good in this world, it is ultimately thanks to God's grace and guidance, rather than by any merit we have achieved on our own. This can be a jarring way of looking at things because modern society seems to promote the opposite worldview to this.
If we help the poor or include the marginalized, and when we serve others without counting the cost, it is not as if we are doing something particularly praiseworthy - but rather we are just living the way God acts all the time. God always acts out of love (by his nature). God does not base his actions on duty, and nor does God give back according to how God is treated. Rather, our God responds out of compassion and love. God is not punitively reactive but generously proactive.
The message of today's gospel could be summed up by a saying the Jewish rabbis would have known well.. ….. … " The best kind of giving is when the giver does not know who they are giving and the receiver does not know from whom they are receiving."[2] Because then it is a pure gift. It is "giving simply for the sake of itself.. with no self-interest and no possible expectation of return.
Jesus wants to totally break the kind of mindset revealed in the following saying: …. "hospitality is a lively sense of the favours to come."
Rather,
Hospitality and engagement with others is not for what it can gain.. but for including those who cannot presently participate by the rules and expectations of a calculating culture….
Also, in this gospel today…
"What Jesus is teaching are not fine points of etiquette or the best way to show table manners and the like. Rather, Jesus is promoting an interior attitude that really demonstrates where we stand, that is, do we consider ourselves to be the centre of the universe, or are we willing to be truly the servant of others?
The way of Christ is the latter, for the self-centred will end up lost, but those who serve others and open their hearts to all will find fulfilment. Such persons, (and we are invited to be among them), will gain everything needed for a life on fire for God and the things of God. As Jesus acted in his lifetime, so should the followers of Christ.
The so-called religious leaders of Jesus time had really gone off the point…. They sat there glaring at Jesus and trying to find fault with him when all they were really doing was ignoring those most in need, whilst hobnobbing with people who could benefit them.,..- in a direct contradiction to the whole message and emphasis of God's law and priorities.
All Jesus was doing was acting out of compassion, curing those in need and welcoming people considered to no value, who were actually very much cherished children of God.,……/….
Throughout history, it is a recurring mystery of human life. How do we get things so wrong, in our actions and attitudes…. Let us pray to Jesus that we are always given a wonderful sense of proportion, generosity and self-giving service, compassion and reverence towards our fellow person.....….and of course, an honest and deep-seated humility…
++++++++
References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
[1] Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abbot's homily (2010)
[2] Daily Study Bible. Luke. By William Barclay (1954)
[3] Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Fr. Christian Leisy, OSB (2010)
+++
Archive of homilies and reflections: 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.
NB - 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
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love, A time of Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul W. Kelly
Texts used in this programme are for the purposes of worship and prayer for listeners wherever you are.
Prayers and chants are taken from the English Translation of the Roman Missal, edition three, © 2010, The International commission on English in the liturgy.
Scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, by the national council of Churches of Christ, USA. , //adaptations to conform with Catholic liturgical norms, © 2009, by the same.
[{selected psalms } - ***Psalm verses are (also) taken from "The Psalms: A New Translation" ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.. **]
Prayers of the Faithful are adapted from Robert Borg's 1993 book " Together we pray". Published in Sydney Australia By E.J. Dwyer. (out of print).
{ "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -published 2011, Composed and Sung by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski
Featuring the….Gloria, The Creed, The Kyrie, The Mass parts, Psalms: http://www.ccwatershed.org/chabanel/ ]]] ] COPYRIGHT @ 2018 CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/Ralph_Sherwin_Videos/
"Faith, Hope and Love" theme Hymn: Words, based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, set to original music © 1996 by Paul W. Kelly.
For more details please visit http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au/
Contact us at paulwkelly68@gmail.com
Production by Kelly Enterprises Resources.
May God bless and keep you.
Twenty-second Sunday of the Year C
(Sunday, September 1, 2019)
(EPISODE: 175 )
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
+++++++++++++
{{May Our Lord's generosity inspire you. }}
Brothers and sisters, the Lord is full of love and mercy. And so, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us acknowledge our sins.
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sundays Ordinary III
Euch prayer two
Communion side. pwk: RH
++++
{thank you so much for taking this time with me to listen to God's word and for praising God for his goodness and care. }
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
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