This weekend's Liturgy - SPP - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 30, 2020. EPISODE 249

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 30, 2020 EPISODE 249

James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). Get Thee Behind Me, Satan (Rétire-toi, Satan), 1886-1896. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 5 11/16 x 8 5/8 in. (14.4 x 21.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.153 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.153_PS2.jpg)

Readings for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Jeremiah 20:7-9
Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9. "My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God"
SECOND READING: Romans 12:1-2
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (cf. Eph 1:17-18).Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of your heart. That we might see how great is the hope to which we are called.
GOSPEL: Matthew 16:21-27
 
Image Credit: James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). Get Thee Behind Me, Satan (Rétire-toi, Satan), 1886-1896. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 5 11/16 x 8 5/8 in. (14.4 x 21.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.153 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.153_PS2.jpg)
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 30, 2020 by clicking this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-22a-episode-249  (EPISODE: 249)
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Prologue: St Peter has just declared that Jesus is the Messiah, the chosen one, and the Son of God. Jesus has rewarded this God-inspired declaration with the statement that Peter is the ROCK…on which he will build his church.
 
Our Lord's church is founded on the "rock-solid profession of faith" first uttered by Saint Peter.
 
But now, (astoundingly), only moments later, Jesus is rebuking Peter. Calling him a stumbling block.
 
Peter has gone from "Rock" to "Stumbling block" in seconds… 
How easy it is for any of us to go from one-minute being a person who is supporting the vision of Jesus, to being an unwitting stumbling block, or obstacle to the project!! It is very sobering stuff!!
 
Our Lord's instinctive reaction, even to one of his closest disciples makes sense though. He had been sorely tempted in the desert by the "adversary"…The temptations were persistent but he deflected them powerfully….. Then, time and time again… he had to shrug off the "all too subtle temptations" to "sell-out" or "take the easy path"….. Jesus has time and time again fended off the adversary's temptations…. "give them bread… give them material things they desire and then they will follow you…..'…. "give them sensations… give them wonders…. and they will follow you…."……. "never challenge them…. given them what they ask without questioning… without moving them forward…… and they will follow you….."……. "compromise with the world…. reduce your standards……. sell out…. and they will follow you…."…. and now….here is his friend… his devoted disciple…… his rock……. Peter….. the "rock on whom he will build his church,"  now saying similar things….. No wonder Jesus shot back that retort like an arrow shot from its bow…….. Jesus has been fending off these obstacles to his true mission constantly throughout his ministry… and this would not be the last time…
 
Jesus is saying to Peter.. and to each one of us…. okay… you know I am the Messiah… the Christ… the chosen one…. fine… that is only the beginning…. NOW you must listen and learn from me WHAT the true meaning of the messiah is……
 
To prevent this mistake, it is urgent that we take regular time to read the scriptures and deepen our spiritual and scriptural reading…. And also, these readings we hear each weekend.. are so rich and full of meaning.. It would be wonderful if we read over the coming weekend's readings, at least once or twice during the preceding week,… and perhaps just prior to coming to mass.. even read the texts reflectively again…. Prior to hearing it proclaimed at Mass… to ever deepen our hearing and perceiving of the wonderful message and challenge of God's Word.
 
Today's gospel demands of us deep and regular prayer, contemplation and reflection, so that we can be a rock, and not a block… and so that we can not only "mean well" but also "achieve well" when we act according to the Lord's vision.
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22^nd Sunday-Ord Time-Year A-2020

Even before Jesus suggested that we all need to be cross bearers, Jeremiah knew what it was to suffer daily. He was attacked by the crowds, imprisoned and tortured. He was isolated from his family and friends, he became a laughing stock around the streets of the city, he was hurt and bewildered by how people responded to him. Many people just ignored him. If there was any person who had a reason to give up, then Jeremiah would certainly qualify, yet he doesn't give in because he claims he cannot extinguish the fire burning within him. He carried a cross before Jesus did.
But is the cross the actual suffering or the reason why suffering can be endured?

"Unless you take up your cross daily and follow me, you are not worthy of the kingdom of heaven" is a misinterpreted text. What Jesus is not saying is: 'Look everybody I want you to become a follower of mine and I can promise you a life of humiliation, rejection, pain and suffering'. Who would want to join such a group?

A cross is made up of two cross pieces, it becomes a symbol of decision. You can go one way or the other; you are at a crossroads. The word 'crisis' comes from that exact same sense. People who are suffering crucifixion are people who are anguishing over hard decisions in their lives. Jesus is saying unless you make daily decisions that make a difference, you are not worthy of me. That is the cross we must bear. It is a far harder cross than physical crucifixion. The cross gets even more difficult to carry when we truly know what we should do but we lose the courage, the motivation to actually do it.
It is often about turning "I should" into "I must" or "I will". It becomes a burden if we don't believe in the reason or the cause that compels us to carry it.

  Saint Paul suggests another form of the cross to the Romans telling them that they should be transformed by the renewal of their minds. They should let go of their old ways and learn to think like Jesus. If there is to be a time of relearning, there must be a time of "reteaching". While the image or recognition of God in the world may have been obscured or blurred by competing quests, people are again looking for God but seem unable to recognise the divine presence and so we must be the teachers of who God is and what God expects.

 Psychiatrist Gerard May wrote a book called 'Addiction and Grace' in it he says: 'After 20 years of listening to the yearnings of people's hearts, I'm convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire for God. Whether they are consciously religious or not, this desire for God is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. 'But something gets in the way of our inborn desire of God. The longing at the centre of our hearts repeatedly disappears from our awareness and its energy is usurped by forces that are not at all loving. Our desires are captured and we give ourselves to things, that in our deepest honesty, we really do not want.'

  It is not that when we teach Christ, we have an unreceptive audience. We are not preaching a message foreign to our human nature. When in our own way we quietly make ethical decisions, even if it costs us money, even if it means that we are not the most important consideration in the decision-making process, when we make the decisions not to cheat, not to steal, not to lie, not to be unfaithful... quietly we become witnesses to the truth in the eyes of others, the truth that is buried deep inside them. When we carry our cross daily we are so many little gongs that strike a great bell, it resonates the deepest desire for God in people, a desire which they cannot even name.

Jesus has spoken already about choice, last Sunday, at Caesarea Philippi, Who do you say I am? Now he invites choice a second time, take up your cross daily. Choose to be evangelisers, the ones who can call forth from people what's already in their hearts, a burning desire for God.
Today's gospel sets before us the starkest reality of Christian faith - the cross. Jesus reminds Peter that this is the condition of discipleship and the only way to salvation.
  Our faith demands something of us, a personal commitment, and a life spent in the service of the Lord. There is no easy way out. Security and complacency are not elements of Christian life. Paradox of earthly loss for heavenly gain

This involved, for Peter and the disciples, so radical a change in their thinking that even Peter was baffled. He had been enlightened by God so that he could recognise the Messiah, he had been given the leadership of the church, yet he had failed to completely understand the message of suffering and was rebuked: 'the way you think is not God's way but man's'.

  This total disregard of self which must characterise Christ's disciple is foreshadowed by the fate of Jeremiah (First reading) the call of God is so insistent - a fire burning within him - that he cannot disregard it, even though his compliance means continual suffering. He is in touch with the pain involved in serving God. In being a witness to values beyond this world. I am a daily laughing-stock, the butt of everyone's jokes.
"The word of the Lord has meant for me insult, derision all day long. You have seduced me Lord, tricked me into believing in you. And yet, when I try to forget you a fire starts to burn in my heart, in my bones. I get tired trying to block you out of my life. Life without you is too much to bear."
  Paul describes the change that must take place in the disciple - he must metamorphose - be completely changed and the Greek word used for this is in Romans is the same word Matthew uses when he describes the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain: we must undergo a metamorphosis. We can follow Christ as he wishes us to do only if we are prepared to fashion the whole of our lives on his, to forget ourselves in the loving service of Christ and of others for Christ's sake. Instead of conforming to the standards of society, we must approach life with a mind and heart transfigured.
  True discipleship, taking up the Cross in imitation of Jesus, unleashes the power and love of God which burns in our hearts.

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References:
homily by Fr Peter Dillon

PROLOGUE Fr Paul W. Kelly
 
THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY. Concepts from William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible – Matthew vol 2).

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed ID: 779219806. LEPOGLAVA, CROATIA - MARCH 17: Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, sacristy of the church of the Immaculate Conception in Lepoglava, Croatia on March 17, 2017. By Zvonimir Atletic  James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). Get Thee Behind Me, Satan (Rétire-toi, Satan), 1886-1896. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 5 11/16 x 8 5/8 in. (14.4 x 21.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.153 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.153_PS2.jpg)


Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, August 30, 2020) (EPISODE: 249 )
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{Joy and peace to everyone}}

As we begin the Holy Eucharist, let us acknowledge our sinfulness, so as to worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick: Lord, have mercy//Lord Jesus, you forgave sinners: Christ, have mercy//Lord Jesus, you give us yourself to heal us and bring us strength: 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
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary IV
Euch Prayer Three
Communion side. pwk: LH
(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  3)
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{{I pray this week brings you an ever deeper expereience of his compassion and love.}}

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

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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 - 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, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement Stefan Kelk 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 


Production: KER 2020

May God bless and keep you. 
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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 23, 2020. EPISODE 248

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 23, 2020 

EPISODE 248

Readings for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 22:19-23 

Psalm 138:1-2a, 2b-3, 6+8. "Lord, your love is eternal, do not forsake the work of your hands."
SECOND READING: Romans 11:33-36

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (Matthew 16:18).Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, the rock on which I will build my Church. The gates of hell will not hold out against it.
GOSPEL: Matthew 16:13-20

 

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed ID: 779219806. LEPOGLAVA, CROATIA - MARCH 17: Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, the picture on a wardrobe in the sacristy of the church of the Immaculate Conception in Lepoglava, Croatia on March 17, 2017. By Zvonimir Atletic  

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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 23, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-21a-episode-248   (EPISODE: 248)
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Prologue. (Fr Paul): In the Gospel, Our Lord gives St Peter, (the first amongst the apostles), the keys to the Kingdom. 

Our Lord builds his church on the solid rock of the profession of faith that Peter makes. This profession of faith is ours as well, these many centuries later.  

"But you….. who do YOU say I am?"

We are in awe of the fact that Our Lord is so protective of each and every one of his Heavenly father's sons and daughters, and so protective that he even says…. "I regard that what you do to even the least of these little ones, it is as if you are doing it to me personally"  ….  And so, over each one of us and all of us….Our Lord throws over a cloak of protection, care and inclusion that is beyond measure ……… Our Lord is the ultimate revelation of not only what God is like.,… but how God acts towards us… and what God feels towards each of us…. and that is very good news… 

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21^st Sunday-Ord. Time- 2020

 

I am frequently asked to write references for people wishing to work within the Catholic Church. I am asked to give a reference about their participation in their faith. This is often a very difficult task since often all I know is that they are baptised and are sometimes seen in Church.

I don't always know if they live their faith outside of the walls of the Church. I don't know what values and standards they live by, and I don't really know if they will bring those standards to the employment they seek. I am often left to ask other people" Who do you say/think this person is?"

"Are they genuinely who they profess to be?" 

Question of who am I? and where am I going does not occur

 

'But you... who do YOU say I am?'

The question that Jesus puts to his disciples is challenging and direct. The most significant words are 'BUT YOU' - they cannot avoid the question, they must make an individual response.

 

The Gospels paint a very honest picture of Peter, a person who is very much human. He makes mistakes, is called, challenged, rebuked, forgiven, given responsibility, and encouraged by Christ. Sometimes he seems almost too human to be given such a tremendous responsibility. It's clear that he had leadership qualities as well as glaring weaknesses. He is brave and cowardly, a rock and jelly. With some reflective prayer, we should all be able to see how very similar our relationship is to Christ as was Peter's.

 

Peter is eloquent in his simplicity. He states clearly that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one, God among us. Jesus reminds Peter that his faith is God's-given gift, a gift that promotes his leadership of the college of apostles.

 

Jesus first called Peter because he had potential, yet Peter resisted "Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man", yet Jesus chose to make him a partner in his work since we know that responsibility helps people grow. Jesus challenged him, corrected him and told him off and refused to comprise on matters of principle. The consoling part of their relationship was that Jesus understood Peter's motives more than his actions and did not write him off when he failed, and he did fail frequently. He trusted Peter and did not spoil him. He became who Jesus encouraged him to be. Peter is us; In our strength and our weakness, in our certainty and our doubt.

 

The gospel question is directed to all who claim to be Christians. We have been given the gift of faith. Jesus has been revealed to us. His life confronts us. Will our profession of faith be as quick and as sure as Peter's? Do our lives show forth the faith that we profess in our hearts? Our answer to the question 'Who do you say I am?' is not just cerebral. It affects the totality of our lives, our attitudes, our relationships with others. To recognise Jesus as the Son of God at work in people's lives gives us hope and a clearer vision of God's love for us.

 

Being "part of the Catholic crowd" is hardly the challenge Jesus presents to the disciples. We are commissioned like the disciples to witness to Christ's personal love in the workplace, with our friends, and in our families.

 

 Thomas Merton once said, 'I have learned to rejoice that Jesus is in the world of people who know Him not, that He is at work in them when they think themselves far from Him and it is my joy to tell you to hope, though you think that for you, hope is impossible. Hope not because you think you can be good but because God loves us irrespective of our minds and whatever is good in us comes from His love, not from our own doing'.

  When we profess faith in Jesus, when we lose ourselves in the mystery of God, this is the vision that will sustain us.

 

Our great quest in life is to move from telling people what we believe, to letting them see who we are. In doing so it should be clear what we believe.

I can't genuinely profess a belief in God whom I claim to love and not show a love for those who love with and around me in the world. I can't profess to follow the message of Christ and then avoid showing a sensitive option for the poor.

It is not enough to say "this is who I am as a Christian" unless that is visible in the way that I live.

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References:
homily:  fr peter Dillon

 

prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly

Break Open the Word. Liturgical Commission. 2011.

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed ID: 779219806. LEPOGLAVA, CROATIA - MARCH 17: Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, picture on a wardrobe in the sacristy of the church of the Immaculate Conception in Lepoglava, Croatia on March 17, 2017. By Zvonimir Atletic 

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, August 23, 2020) (EPISODE: 248 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{Love and joy be with everyone}}

 

As we prepare to celebrate the great Sacramental feast of Gods love, let us pause, recall our sins, and trust in Gods infinite mercy.
Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life: Lord, have mercy// //Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins: Christ, have mercy//Lord Jesus, you feed us with your body and blood: 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
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary III
Euch prayer two

(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  2)
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{{Thank you for giving generously of your time and prayer.}}

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

 

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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 - 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, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

 

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement Stefan Kelk 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 

May God bless and keep you. 
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Surfers Paradise Mass: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 16, 2020

 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 16, 2020

EPISODE 247

 

Readings for 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6+8. “O God, let all the nations praise you”
SECOND READING: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (cf. Matthew 4:23).Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom. And healed all who were sick.
GOSPEL: Matthew 15:21-28

 

Shutterstock licensed image. ID: 139552943 Bible stories. By Anna Yefimenko
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, August 16, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-20a-episode-247-draft-1/s-pDzwTgjtmmz  (EPISODE: 247)
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Prologue: (Fr Paul): The readings this weekend remind us of one of the key teachings and attitudes of Our Lord. This is also a central value and attitude in the life of the Holy Trinity: (Father, Son and Holy Spirit!)…. and that is openness, inclusion and welcome.  Love that reaches out and is always open to the other and a love that is always open to “yet one more person being part of the family.”

 

The faith of that lady who persisted in asking Our Lord for what she needed is sadly in stark contrast with the response many of Our Lord’ own people were giving to Our Lord himself, who was ‘one of them’ – one of their own people..  one of the chosen ones. Many of his own people were rejecting him.  And here was a lady from a different place and a different religion who knows she is taking a risk in even approaching him, and yet she keeps persisting even when she gets an initial and noticeable rebuff from the disciples and even by Our Lord’ initial response. The lady persists because she KNOWS that Jesus is the one who can help. She knows that he is the messiah who will welcome the chosen ones to his table. And she hopes and prays that her faith in him and her proximity to the table will be enough to share in the blessings of the table.   The Canaanite woman is willing to share in any scrap or morsel of the richness God has to offer, which, ironically, is not being appreciated by those who sit at the table…..And she is RIGHT.  Our Lord does not merely say, you can enjoy the scraps that fall from the chosen one’s table… He is saying to her; because of your faith, because of your persistence….  you can JOIN the table…  for -  What faith!!  What persistence!!

 

I imagine that when the lady responded how she did, Our Lord would have smiled...    cast his head back and laughed...  not a scornful laugh but a laugh of delight and recognition.  THIS lady GETS it...  this lady understands when my people do not. This humble woman just wants to share in any small piece of the blessings that others cannot even see.,....    and then his warmth and inclusion are complete.....

 

There are references to Our Lord starting out addressing the chosen ones of Israel, but clearly, by the end of his ministry, this has widened to all who will respond...   The chosen ones are anyone and everyone who responds in faith and love and trust in what The Lord is offering...      This is a blessing of immense proportions. 
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20^th Sunday – Ordinary Time – Year A – 2020

 

 Not being a parent, one of the things I have come to accept about my life is that I will never truly know the depth of a parent's love for their child. Too many times have I had to bless the body of a stillborn child and sense that the grief experienced by the parents is the same as if the child had lived a long life. It would seem that these intense feelings begin from the very moment that the parents are aware that they have between them become the co-authors of another person's life and they will value that life even more than their own. It is said that there is no stronger or greater love

 

The childless Jesus may have been a bit surprised himself to meet this courageous Gentile woman whose unshakeable determination for her child's healing makes her refuse to be put off or give up. She was prepared to humiliate and embarrass herself to the point of begging. Her maternal love impelling her to persevere, to struggle with no guarantee of a happy outcome.

 

Jesus' reaction to this woman is rather confronting. Is he actually refusing to help someone in need because of where they come from? Is he annoyed that he was looking for a break from the demands of his mission and he was being pestered by a begging woman? Surely Jesus could not be tired or frustrated, annoyed at this intrusion into his downtime. Could he possibly be acting like a normal person? I think it would be fair enough to say that many of us would react adversely to such an imposition. Generally, we might refuse to help someone who intrudes on our comfort, justifying ourselves by saying that we haven't got the time, or that we can't help everybody who asks, or that we are only encouraging people to beg if we give them something every time they ask.

 

This woman who came to Jesus was a pagan. To make matters worse, she was a member of a tribe that had been ancestral enemies of the Jews. Yet she had more faith in Jesus than in her own people. They wouldn't believe unless they saw signs and wonders, and even then they refused to believe. Here is a woman desperate for help and she may well have sacrificed her relationship with her family and community to ask this stranger, this foreigner for assistance.

 

Jesus' reaction does surprise us; at first, he ignores her. Then he refuses her and tries to put her off. Is he testing her resolve? Is this reaction meant for her or to teach his disciples a valuable lesson? However, as we hear she is a very determined woman she is a mother and will not take 'NO' for an answer. Upon seeing her unshakable perseverance, finally, he grants her request. As we told many times in the Gospels, our perseverance will eventually achieve a resolution to our needs, provided those needs are for lour good, not just our convenience.

 

Why is it so difficult to respond quickly and happily when we encounter a poor person or one in need of something that we can provide for them? Why do we look for a way out, that will make to problem go away or be passed on to someone else?

 

What it comes down to is this: we are afraid of the cry of the poor. An encounter with someone begging for assistance can be a disturbing experience. It can stir up unpleasant things inside us. It tends to arouse conflicting feelings of pity, discomfort, anger and guilt. We hate what we discover about ourselves, and unless we are careful we may direct that hate at the poor unfortunate person who has dared to approach us.

 

This encounter can be humbling when it makes us aware of our own poverty, but we are poor in a different sense. We can confront ourselves as being poor in compassion, poor in our capacity to love. If we are open to it, we can also find these encounters of great help to us. We can discover our own weakness and woundedness, which we are all good at concealing. If we are brave enough this encounter can awaken and reveal the heart. The fact that we acknowledge the conflict in ourselves means that we know the right thing to do we just lack the conviction, to struggle with our own conscience.

 

Even as Jesus remarks that this woman has great faith, he needs his followers to understand that faith is not a magic wand. It calls forth from us humility, courage, perseverance and above all love. A mother never gives up and nor does a person of faith. Faith and love are inseparably connected. Love is the expression of our faith.

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References:

Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon

Prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly

References: (MISSION 2000  – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR A. BY MARK LINK S.J).

Shutterstock licensed image. ID: 139552943 Bible stories. By Anna Yefimenko

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, August 16, 2020) (EPISODE: 247 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{Hi everyone}}

 

Our Gods love and mercy knows no bounds, and so let us recall our sins so as to worthily celebrate this Holy Sacrifice.
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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PREFACE: SUNDAYS I
Euch prayer two
Communion side. pwk: LH

(OPENING THEME VARIATION:  1)
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{{May God's grace strengthen your love and hope and faith, and may God's love surprise you even in the trials and challenges of the week.}}

Go forth, the Mass is ended.

 

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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 - 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, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms” ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray," by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The ….Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

 

“Quiet Time.”  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement Stefan Kelk 2020.

- “Today I Arise” - For Tricia J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick’s Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. 

May God bless and keep you. 
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