Homily Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 29, 2019
READINGS:
READINGS:
Amos 6:1, 4-7;
Psalm: "Praise the Lord, my soul!"
1 Tim 6:11-16;
Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus Christ was rich but he became poor. To make you rich out of his poverty.
Lk 16:19-31
Shutterstock licensed photo ID: 313796105 DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 16, 2015: Homeless Jesus statue on August 16, 2015 near Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
++++
Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 29, 2019 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/26c-faith-hope-and-love-ep-179/s-MBrrD (EPISODE: 179)
+++++
Prologue: This weekend, Gods word emphasises the importance of empathy and compassion. -- particularly, having the eyes of compassion, which are not blind to the suffering of others around us. The readings give a "big serve" to all who enjoy every kind of luxury but who are quite ignorant of people in extreme need (for even the basic necessities) - - People who are "hidden in plain sight." The lord wants everyone to know that the sick, the poor, the outcast, are very dear to him. They are cherished children, as dear to God as the most lofty person on earth. The Lord desperately wants us to see and recognise our fellow brothers and sisters and to respond to them as we would a brother or sister in need. Their welfare is our welfare, since we belong to the same family of God. This is faith, hope and love.
++
The Parable in this weekend's Gospel is often called The Story of "Lazarus and"Divés". These are supposedly the names of the poor man, who certainly is called Lazarus, and the rich man, who is actually not named - and I think he is deliberately not given a name in this parable.
The word "Divés" is a Latin word which translates as "Rich". So, it is actually not a name, but rather a description.
In many Biblical stories, and in the culture of the time, the importance of the person is often shown by the fact that they are given a "name". To know the name of someone is to know and understand the importance of that person.
It is an error, then when commentators attempt to give a name to the rich man, when it is clearly not intended in the parable. This story is deliberately turning the usual conventions on their head. Usually, the rich and influential person is regarded as so important that they must have a name in the drama, whilst the unimportant, insignificant character of the poor person remains nameless, as well as being without food, shelter or supplies. However, Our Lord's parable makes it quite clear that the most important person in this story is Lazarus! The whole point of the story is to overturn the usual expectations of status and importance. Tragically, this point is also lost on the rich man who, even in the torment of Hades, still misses the point badly.
He ignorantly requests Abraham to command Lazarus to cross over to Hades to serve him with a little taste of water. However, his request is rightly denied. Lazarus is poor no longer! he is no longer unseen and without value in the eyes of those around him. He is no longer at the beck and call of the powerful and influential who would only have noticed him if he were of some practical use to them at the time – (and if he was of no use to them, he would be quite invisible to them).
As St. Basil said in one of his homilies on this parable, "Tell us the reason why you have received your possessions. Is it so that God may be unjust? God who unequally distributes those goods necessary to life? Why are you rich and another poor? To the hungry belongs the spare bread that you keep. To the naked, the cloak you keep tucked away. You commit as many injustices as there are people to whom you could give."
One of the great failings of the rich man in this parable is that he is ignorant and apathetic to the poverty and need of people around him; -- people who turn out to be his brother, and his sister in God's Kingdom. … SO, these needy people are co-heirs to the Kingdom which this uncaring man will never inherit….
This parable invites us to change our way of seeing things. The gospel tells us in countless ways that the last will be first. Our Lord calls upon us to truly build up a world based upon true gospel values….. a world and a Kingdom of God which is filled with many people like Lazarus, who are despised now by those who, according to the parable, do not deserve to have a name.
The parable leaves no room for doubt. The unnamed rich man tries to say he had no idea about the plight of the poor. However, "Father Abraham" will have none of this! He dismisses this categorically, saying "you have the word of God to listen to." The words and teachings of the Scriptures are more than enough to guide us in how we should live.
In spite of the clarity of the gospel message, we admit that we too can look for excuses or ask for more obvious signs before we respond to the blatant demands of justice and compassion. The priorities of the gospel are really quite plain enough, without any further embellishment…. we only have to pay attention.- to look, and listen and feel....
Those who ignore the poor are rejected by the Lord. Saint Paul gives us the reason for such a behaviour: "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Greed leads us to place our trust in money, when all true power rightly comes only from God. This is why Paul calls it 'idolatry.' And the poor are victims of this distorted worship, which separates people by a great chasm, -- unable to be crossed over.
But all is not lost… This parable continues on from the earlier parables in this section. Although we are told that the rich man faced a great gulf between himself and the Kingdom of God, where Abraham and Lazarus in Paradise. …. Jesus has already given his carefully attentive listeners a hint… and a key… There is actually one way out of this seemingly impossible situation -- In theory, this rich man can be saved….. But he is so ignorant that he cannot even comprehend it; and so in practise he probably will never access this reprieve… He must act just as the foolish younger son did in the parable of the Prodigal Son…. He must, come to his senses and see the folly of his ways. He must say to his heavenly Father (from the depths of his heart) --…. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against earth… I no longer deserve to be called your son, treat me as one of your hired servants…. "….. Because we KNOW, (from Jesus' own lips), what the Heavenly Father's response will be to those who realise their error, and who awake from their apathy, truly repent… and turn back…….
Again. Luke's gospel is particularly addressed to influential and affluent Gentiles who want to be good Christians. Our Lord did not tell this parable so that people will give up in despair, because their unavoidable destiny is Hades. He teaches this parable to wake them up from their apathy, and get them to show their fraternity to those who are bowed-down.
Someone once write into a publication to share a little example: One day they received an appeal from a reputable foreign mission, asking for an aid donation. The person wrote a little cheque out to support the mission appeal and felt good about it. Then they went out to the local shopping centre and promptly spent twice as much on discretionary spending. Suddenly this person shares that their eyes were opened and they were overcome with a sense of shame as they realised the chasm between the two actions. This person quickly returned home and wrote five more cheques out, explaining that they were doing this to "catch a few more 'Lazaruses,' at the door"….(or even further afield)…….
+++++++++++++++++++
References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.
Fr. John Fuellenbach, SVD, (Rome), Sabbatical Lectures 2007. Rome. (Notes of Paul Kelly)
A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE. (2010)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock licensed photo ID: 313796105 DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 16, 2015: Homeless Jesus statue on August 16, 2015 near Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
+++
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-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
(Sunday, September 29, 2019)
(EPISODE: 179 )
The Lord be with you.
+++++++++++++
{{Peace and greetings to you all.}}
{{We have gathered to Listening to God's Word. }}
As one family in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by calling to mind our sins.?
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of peace. Lord have mercy// You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ have mercy// You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. Lord have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
own preface
Various Needs and Occasions . III
Communion side. pwk: RH
++++
{Thank you for giving generously of your time and prayer.}
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
++++
Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 29, 2019 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/26c-faith-hope-and-love-ep-179/s-MBrrD (EPISODE: 179)
+++++
Prologue: This weekend, Gods word emphasises the importance of empathy and compassion. -- particularly, having the eyes of compassion, which are not blind to the suffering of others around us. The readings give a "big serve" to all who enjoy every kind of luxury but who are quite ignorant of people in extreme need (for even the basic necessities) - - People who are "hidden in plain sight." The lord wants everyone to know that the sick, the poor, the outcast, are very dear to him. They are cherished children, as dear to God as the most lofty person on earth. The Lord desperately wants us to see and recognise our fellow brothers and sisters and to respond to them as we would a brother or sister in need. Their welfare is our welfare, since we belong to the same family of God. This is faith, hope and love.
++
The Parable in this weekend's Gospel is often called The Story of "Lazarus and
The word "Divés" is a Latin word which translates as "Rich". So, it is actually not a name, but rather a description.
In many Biblical stories, and in the culture of the time, the importance of the person is often shown by the fact that they are given a "name". To know the name of someone is to know and understand the importance of that person.
It is an error, then when commentators attempt to give a name to the rich man, when it is clearly not intended in the parable. This story is deliberately turning the usual conventions on their head. Usually, the rich and influential person is regarded as so important that they must have a name in the drama, whilst the unimportant, insignificant character of the poor person remains nameless, as well as being without food, shelter or supplies. However, Our Lord's parable makes it quite clear that the most important person in this story is Lazarus! The whole point of the story is to overturn the usual expectations of status and importance. Tragically, this point is also lost on the rich man who, even in the torment of Hades, still misses the point badly.
He ignorantly requests Abraham to command Lazarus to cross over to Hades to serve him with a little taste of water. However, his request is rightly denied. Lazarus is poor no longer! he is no longer unseen and without value in the eyes of those around him. He is no longer at the beck and call of the powerful and influential who would only have noticed him if he were of some practical use to them at the time – (and if he was of no use to them, he would be quite invisible to them).
As St. Basil said in one of his homilies on this parable, "Tell us the reason why you have received your possessions. Is it so that God may be unjust? God who unequally distributes those goods necessary to life? Why are you rich and another poor? To the hungry belongs the spare bread that you keep. To the naked, the cloak you keep tucked away. You commit as many injustices as there are people to whom you could give."
One of the great failings of the rich man in this parable is that he is ignorant and apathetic to the poverty and need of people around him; -- people who turn out to be his brother, and his sister in God's Kingdom. … SO, these needy people are co-heirs to the Kingdom which this uncaring man will never inherit….
This parable invites us to change our way of seeing things. The gospel tells us in countless ways that the last will be first. Our Lord calls upon us to truly build up a world based upon true gospel values….. a world and a Kingdom of God which is filled with many people like Lazarus, who are despised now by those who, according to the parable, do not deserve to have a name.
The parable leaves no room for doubt. The unnamed rich man tries to say he had no idea about the plight of the poor. However, "Father Abraham" will have none of this! He dismisses this categorically, saying "you have the word of God to listen to." The words and teachings of the Scriptures are more than enough to guide us in how we should live.
In spite of the clarity of the gospel message, we admit that we too can look for excuses or ask for more obvious signs before we respond to the blatant demands of justice and compassion. The priorities of the gospel are really quite plain enough, without any further embellishment…. we only have to pay attention.- to look, and listen and feel....
Those who ignore the poor are rejected by the Lord. Saint Paul gives us the reason for such a behaviour: "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Greed leads us to place our trust in money, when all true power rightly comes only from God. This is why Paul calls it 'idolatry.' And the poor are victims of this distorted worship, which separates people by a great chasm, -- unable to be crossed over.
But all is not lost… This parable continues on from the earlier parables in this section. Although we are told that the rich man faced a great gulf between himself and the Kingdom of God, where Abraham and Lazarus in Paradise. …. Jesus has already given his carefully attentive listeners a hint… and a key… There is actually one way out of this seemingly impossible situation -- In theory, this rich man can be saved….. But he is so ignorant that he cannot even comprehend it; and so in practise he probably will never access this reprieve… He must act just as the foolish younger son did in the parable of the Prodigal Son…. He must, come to his senses and see the folly of his ways. He must say to his heavenly Father (from the depths of his heart) --…. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against earth… I no longer deserve to be called your son, treat me as one of your hired servants…. "….. Because we KNOW, (from Jesus' own lips), what the Heavenly Father's response will be to those who realise their error, and who awake from their apathy, truly repent… and turn back…….
Again. Luke's gospel is particularly addressed to influential and affluent Gentiles who want to be good Christians. Our Lord did not tell this parable so that people will give up in despair, because their unavoidable destiny is Hades. He teaches this parable to wake them up from their apathy, and get them to show their fraternity to those who are bowed-down.
Someone once write into a publication to share a little example: One day they received an appeal from a reputable foreign mission, asking for an aid donation. The person wrote a little cheque out to support the mission appeal and felt good about it. Then they went out to the local shopping centre and promptly spent twice as much on discretionary spending. Suddenly this person shares that their eyes were opened and they were overcome with a sense of shame as they realised the chasm between the two actions. This person quickly returned home and wrote five more cheques out, explaining that they were doing this to "catch a few more 'Lazaruses,' at the door"….(or even further afield)…….
+++++++++++++++++++
References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.
Fr. John Fuellenbach, SVD, (Rome), Sabbatical Lectures 2007. Rome. (Notes of Paul Kelly)
A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE. (2010)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock licensed photo ID: 313796105 DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 16, 2015: Homeless Jesus statue on August 16, 2015 near Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
+++
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-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
(Sunday, September 29, 2019)
(EPISODE: 179 )
The Lord be with you.
+++++++++++++
{{Peace and greetings to you all.}}
{{We have gathered to Listening to God's Word. }}
As one family in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by calling to mind our sins.?
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of peace. Lord have mercy// You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ have mercy// You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. Lord have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
own preface
Various Needs and Occasions . III
Communion side. pwk: RH
++++
{Thank you for giving generously of your time and prayer.}
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
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