Catholic 765 : Homily Thirty-Second Sunday Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, November 10, 2019
First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2. 9-14
Psalm: Ps 16:1. 5-6. 8. 15. R. "Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full"
Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - 3:5
Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead. Glory and Kingship be his forever and ever.
Gospel: Luke 20:27-38
First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2. 9-14
Psalm: Ps 16:1. 5-6. 8. 15. R. "Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full"
Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - 3:5
Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead. Glory and Kingship be his forever and ever.
Gospel: Luke 20:27-38
Image: By PopTika. Shutterstock photo ID: 776381272. Licensed use. "Purple flower growing on crack street, soft focus."
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Thirty-Second Sunday Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, November 10, 2019, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/32c-faith-hope-and-love-ep-187/s-24TOI (EPISODE: 187)
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Here we are … We have come full circle… this weekend features the reassuring promise within the readings of God's faithfulness to us. This weekends reading featured, on the very first episode of this podcast, three years ago. And how time flies.. Here we are back at the start, as we begin to start the superb three-year cycle of readings anew,.. God's word is always new and fresh. The Lord is the beginning and end of everything. "In the face of death … we search and listen.. and we hear silence…. As all people do…. (believers and non-believers)…… but I truly believe that the quality of that silence is very, very different for those who listen with faith and hope…./// ………… It not an empty silence that we heard when confronted with mortality…..…. It's.. … like the silence just before someone is about to reply…. like the pause immediately prior to someone is about to answer…….. (but in these cases, extended, without a defined time-limit for reply….)……… like the words of a poem I am about to read…….. it's a silence filled with the power of God's promise… it's a silence bursting with God's eternal 'yes' to life and to us…. (It is a pregnant pause….)…..
This is the poem.. it says something that mere explanations can never capture….
"From the voiceless lips
of the unreplying dead
there comes no word.
But in the night of Death,
Hope sees a star,
and listening Love can hear
the rustle of a wing."
(ROBERT GREEN INGERSOLL)
To me… that poem sums up the hope we have in our God…...
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The readings this weekend are timely for the month of November, which is traditionally the time of prayer for the Souls of those who have gone before us into eternal life… Also, as the year starts winding down, and the end of the church year is in only a couple of weeks; the readings start looking at the end "of all things," and the promise of what is to come after that….
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Thirty-Second Sunday Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, November 10, 2019, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/32c-faith-hope-and-love-ep-187/s-24TOI (EPISODE: 187)
+++++
Here we are … We have come full circle… this weekend features the reassuring promise within the readings of God's faithfulness to us. This weekends reading featured, on the very first episode of this podcast, three years ago. And how time flies.. Here we are back at the start, as we begin to start the superb three-year cycle of readings anew,.. God's word is always new and fresh. The Lord is the beginning and end of everything. "In the face of death … we search and listen.. and we hear silence…. As all people do…. (believers and non-believers)…… but I truly believe that the quality of that silence is very, very different for those who listen with faith and hope…./// ………… It not an empty silence that we heard when confronted with mortality…..…. It's.. … like the silence just before someone is about to reply…. like the pause immediately prior to someone is about to answer…….. (but in these cases, extended, without a defined time-limit for reply….)……… like the words of a poem I am about to read…….. it's a silence filled with the power of God's promise… it's a silence bursting with God's eternal 'yes' to life and to us…. (It is a pregnant pause….)…..
This is the poem.. it says something that mere explanations can never capture….
"From the voiceless lips
of the unreplying dead
there comes no word.
But in the night of Death,
Hope sees a star,
and listening Love can hear
the rustle of a wing."
(ROBERT GREEN INGERSOLL)
To me… that poem sums up the hope we have in our God…...
+++
The readings this weekend are timely for the month of November, which is traditionally the time of prayer for the Souls of those who have gone before us into eternal life… Also, as the year starts winding down, and the end of the church year is in only a couple of weeks; the readings start looking at the end "of all things," and the promise of what is to come after that….
We are constantly brought back to the fact that God is faithful. God keeps his promises to us.
God has promised that each one of us is absolutely precious in God's eyes…. and that God does never cease to care for us.
The life of every single person has eternal value. From conception to natural death. This eternal value continues far beyond what can be seen in this life.
//Our life continues on into the life of God's Heavenly Kingdom...
The tensions, tragedies, injustices and suffering of this life, all eventually give way to God's faithfulness to all his beloved children… Us, who are his deeply cherished sons and daughters…
We are, and we will always be "God's beloved children" ….. All through this life and in the next….(forever)
Especially this month, our prayers are with the those who have gone before us… //We believe that, one day, we will all be brought together again…in God's Heavenly Kingdom of life, peace and joy….
Our Christian faith does not gloss over death and its enormous impact….. in fact,… the Cross of Christ is a very stark, shocking and central symbol of our faith. The Crucifixion of Christ is an unflinching sign of the suffering and tragedy in so many people's lives// The Cross is unable to be watered down and it cannot be gotten around…//….
We believe that the Cross of Christ is a sign of God's absolute commitment to us ///…. God is in united full with us and has committed himself absolutely to us, to our condition and to our joys and sorrows, our triumphs and also our suffering. …
Jesus reveals to us God made human….. he is the one who "stays in-there, with us," through the best and the absolute worst that life throws at us…. And Our Lord suffered AND DIED for the salvation of all. We note with significance that Christ suffered and died not only for the good and the 'worthy,' but for all his beloved children, - and particularly those considered (by the standards of the world), to be unworthy; Especially those labelled, (by some) as 'worthless'…. //
Our lord not only endured death in order to save us, but he suffered the worst kind of death… //… And the reason he went through all of this because he loved us, and "threw in his lot" permanently with us. And he rose up to defeat the power of sin and death.
The first reading shows a grave injustice being done to a group of people who want to be faithful to the Lord. What is happening to them is cruel and wrong…. They continue to hold onto what is right in the face of the most brutal and inhuman treatment … trusting that God will not abandon them…. This immediately brings to mind people of every time and place who have suffered every kind of unspeakable wrong, and whose dignity and sanctity of life was completely ignored. Jesus shows us that God sees this and will not overlook these ones who suffered injustice and wrongdoing. God comes and suffers with and in these people to show us that God will comfort these. They are not forgotten, even if they were nameless and unknown to others. God demands that all people be given the dignity that has been given them by his own love. And that what we do to these little ones, we are doing to God himself. And he will not forget it or abide it. It is also important that this unity God has with us, (his beloved children), means that God calls for an end to mistreatment, disrespect and violence, here and now, in this life! And if this urgent call is not respected, God will most certainly restore it in the next. But Our Lord's example reminds us that it is not good enough for those doing wrong to wait to cease their wrongdoing or rectify their harm until the next life. This call is for NOW, and For all.
The beauty of this message is that God wants justice to be done, and assistance given to those in need now - in this life. the Lord does not want people saying: "God will make it all right in the next life, so we will leave things as they are down here on earth and God can sort it out in the next life." …. No. A thousand times NO. .......God indeed has the last say in everything. That is true! But God wants us to act justly, compassionately and mercifully here and now…. Only if justice cannot be attained despite the every best effort in this life, God will ensure it is done in the next… however, the Lord, commands and work without ceasing for that justice that is desperately needed by so many in this life ……
Our Lord promises us that God will never give up on us…. Never abandon us…. Even if (at times) we really feel like we have abandoned… God is still there… - with us - and in us … always… …
Thank goodness our Lord Jesus called out on the cross: "My God , My God why have you abandoned me." By this, through Jesus' own life, suffering, death and resurrection he amplifies and gives voice to all people throughout history who suffer alone, who are abandoned by others and who cry out to feel the presence and support of God.
But God knows every one of these people's names. God sees their suffering and God will not forget them. And (just as vitally), God wants us to see them and not forget them also.
God has promised that each one of us is absolutely precious in God's eyes…. and that God does never cease to care for us.
The life of every single person has eternal value. From conception to natural death. This eternal value continues far beyond what can be seen in this life.
//Our life continues on into the life of God's Heavenly Kingdom...
The tensions, tragedies, injustices and suffering of this life, all eventually give way to God's faithfulness to all his beloved children… Us, who are his deeply cherished sons and daughters…
We are, and we will always be "God's beloved children" ….. All through this life and in the next….(forever)
Especially this month, our prayers are with the those who have gone before us… //We believe that, one day, we will all be brought together again…in God's Heavenly Kingdom of life, peace and joy….
Our Christian faith does not gloss over death and its enormous impact….. in fact,… the Cross of Christ is a very stark, shocking and central symbol of our faith. The Crucifixion of Christ is an unflinching sign of the suffering and tragedy in so many people's lives// The Cross is unable to be watered down and it cannot be gotten around…//….
We believe that the Cross of Christ is a sign of God's absolute commitment to us ///…. God is in united full with us and has committed himself absolutely to us, to our condition and to our joys and sorrows, our triumphs and also our suffering. …
Jesus reveals to us God made human….. he is the one who "stays in-there, with us," through the best and the absolute worst that life throws at us…. And Our Lord suffered AND DIED for the salvation of all. We note with significance that Christ suffered and died not only for the good and the 'worthy,' but for all his beloved children, - and particularly those considered (by the standards of the world), to be unworthy; Especially those labelled, (by some) as 'worthless'…. //
Our lord not only endured death in order to save us, but he suffered the worst kind of death… //… And the reason he went through all of this because he loved us, and "threw in his lot" permanently with us. And he rose up to defeat the power of sin and death.
The first reading shows a grave injustice being done to a group of people who want to be faithful to the Lord. What is happening to them is cruel and wrong…. They continue to hold onto what is right in the face of the most brutal and inhuman treatment … trusting that God will not abandon them…. This immediately brings to mind people of every time and place who have suffered every kind of unspeakable wrong, and whose dignity and sanctity of life was completely ignored. Jesus shows us that God sees this and will not overlook these ones who suffered injustice and wrongdoing. God comes and suffers with and in these people to show us that God will comfort these. They are not forgotten, even if they were nameless and unknown to others. God demands that all people be given the dignity that has been given them by his own love. And that what we do to these little ones, we are doing to God himself. And he will not forget it or abide it. It is also important that this unity God has with us, (his beloved children), means that God calls for an end to mistreatment, disrespect and violence, here and now, in this life! And if this urgent call is not respected, God will most certainly restore it in the next. But Our Lord's example reminds us that it is not good enough for those doing wrong to wait to cease their wrongdoing or rectify their harm until the next life. This call is for NOW, and For all.
The beauty of this message is that God wants justice to be done, and assistance given to those in need now - in this life. the Lord does not want people saying: "God will make it all right in the next life, so we will leave things as they are down here on earth and God can sort it out in the next life." …. No. A thousand times NO. .......God indeed has the last say in everything. That is true! But God wants us to act justly, compassionately and mercifully here and now…. Only if justice cannot be attained despite the every best effort in this life, God will ensure it is done in the next… however, the Lord, commands and work without ceasing for that justice that is desperately needed by so many in this life ……
Our Lord promises us that God will never give up on us…. Never abandon us…. Even if (at times) we really feel like we have abandoned… God is still there… - with us - and in us … always… …
Thank goodness our Lord Jesus called out on the cross: "My God , My God why have you abandoned me." By this, through Jesus' own life, suffering, death and resurrection he amplifies and gives voice to all people throughout history who suffer alone, who are abandoned by others and who cry out to feel the presence and support of God.
But God knows every one of these people's names. God sees their suffering and God will not forget them. And (just as vitally), God wants us to see them and not forget them also.
The Gospel of Christ, as preached and lived by Our Lord, assures us that even the most unknown and unremarked suffering or injustice, done to the most invisible people in society; God cares about them, and what happens to them and has not abandoned them - but instead constantly calls on all people of goodwill to do something about it. Even if a person does not feel God's reassurance in the midst of the suffering, God is still THERE with them. Our Lord went through precisely the same abandonment and denial of dignity.
when we run to God with all the disasters that befall us, including when we are bereaved by loss and suffering injustice… We beg God for answers…. And although we do not hear a physical voice replying to us… (except the voice of the Scriptures.. and except the voice and response of those filled with God's love - who reach out like the hand of God, in real and practical ways…. // nevertheless I truly believe… that the silence is not an empty silence … but rather, that silence is a pause filled with promise…(like the kind of silence you hear straight after asking an urgent request of someone and in the silence, seconds before you get a reply - a positive one.. (the big difference is that in these situations, the pause between the response is extended)… it is more of a pregnant pause….. where the reply will certainly be…. "I will raise you up… I will bring life out of death".
And this promise is not just for the next life. For, God is constantly at work, bringing new life to all of the many abrupt endings and failures in life…. (big or small)
As Jesus assures us in the Gospel: He is the God of the living. For, to God, all are still alive.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
MISSION 2000 – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR B. BY MARK LINK S.J.
2010 – A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE.
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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 Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, revised - 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - from " Together we pray". by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, publishers , (1993)
{ Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, copyright 2011 ccwatershed.org. }
"Faith, Hope and Love" hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music Paul W. Kelly. (c) 1996 . Updated lyrics by Paul Kelly and Stefan Kelk, arranged and sung by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
please visit homilycatholic.blogspot.com
Production - Kelly Enterprises Resources.
May God bless and keep you.
Thirty-Second Sunday Ordinary Time. Year C
(Sunday, November 10, 2019)
(EPISODE: 187 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{Kindness and grace to you all}}
As we prepare to celebrate the great Sacramental feast of Gods love, let us pause, recall our sins, and trust in Gods infinite mercy.?
You raise the dead to life in the Spirit. Lord, have mercy//You bring pardon and peace to the sinner. Christ, have mercy// You bring light to those in darkness. 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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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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Sundays Ordinary II
Euch prayer two
Communion side. PWK: LH
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{I gratefully acknowledge and give thanks to God for your prayers at this time of prayer and reflection upon our God. }
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
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