(EPISODE: 257)
Readings for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Exodus 22:20-26
Psalm 18:2-3a, 3b-4, 47+51. "I love you Lord, my strength."
SECOND READING: 1 Thess 1:5c-10
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 14:23). Alleluia, alleluia! All who love me will keep my words and my Father will love them and we will come to them.
GOSPEL: Matthew 22:34-40
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 1166415550 Norman, OK 8/28/2018 Close up of the bible verse: Matthew 22:37-39 love the Lord... Love your neighbour. By Jennifer Wallace
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A . - Sunday, October 25, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-30a-episode-257/s-MuQMMuuNnKL (EPISODE: 257)
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*Prologue Fr Paul W. Kelly
- [Gospel values included in the readings: Love God, Love Neighbour as self. Justice, especially to the stranger and outcast]
"There are many examples of how, even after the busiest of days, Jesus would go up into the hills, to a lonely place, and spend the night in prayer to His heavenly Father. So, it is fair to say, Jesus' whole life was to worship and praise the Father.
There are also many examples of how Jesus spent himself in complete service of others.His whole life was an act of service and love to his neighbour… all in need around him…..
These two complete realities must be two sides of the same coin…. And are not in any way in contradiction.
In fact the great saint John Chrysostom once said: "I cannot believe in the salvation of those people who do not work for the salvation of their neighbours." Another great monk was once heard to say to his brothers: (when they focused too much on rules and not the heart of the gospel message….) -"My friends, you have torn the gospel of Christ in two….//.There are two great commandments: - show your Love for God, by how you love your neighbour (just as you would love and care for yourself). (or perhaps it is more accurate to say there really is only one commandment to love.. which has two facets to it….)In any case……Splitting up these two commands seriously distorts the gospel……
Everything Our Lord did, was primarily motivated by the love that flowed out of him as God the son. This is another example of the cross of Jesus, the suffering that comes from living in right relationship with the Father and one another, whilst always keeping front-and-centre the point of this way of living....love, reverence and compassion. because in the end its all about LOVE - of God, shown in how we love our neighbour.
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Fr Peter Dillon. Homily - 30th Sunday – Ordinary Time – Year A - 2020
Several years ago when I was living and working in the Fortitude Valley parish in Brisbane, a rather scruffy young man camped outside my residence for a few days. He never asked for anything from me, and kept his surroundings quite clean. I would nod to him each time I arrived home, but other than that, there was no conversation or interaction. I figured he just wanted to be left alone and just needed a place to sleep.
After a few days I couldn't stand it any longer and found out from a brief conversation with him that he was in fact homeless and had nowhere else to go, so I generously drove him to the St. Vincent de Paul hostel in South Brisbane and paid for a week's accommodation for him. I tell you this no pride and with a guilty admission. I did not know this man, nor love him, or really want to listen to his life story. I simply wanted to pass him on and not have to feel any guilt for my comfortable and secure life. I want him to be someone else's responsibility.
I could argue that I helped him and was doing what a priest should do. What more could be expected of me? I was, after all, doing a Christian act, but the intention was far from caring. I realised that my proclaiming that I loved God was only true when it felt comfortable, and when "my neighbour" was grateful and non-demanding. It became quite clear to me that my neighbour at this time was this poor, scruffy, non-grateful, unclean, addicted man. I didn't think of him as a Christ-figure. I closed my mind to the possibility that this was an invitation to be the hands, the voice and the heart of Jesus.
Loving God with all my heart, soul and mind started to get rather uncomfortable and demanding. I had trouble seeing God in the faces of those who needed my help.
For the Israelites, the stranger ceases feeling estranged when they were shown hospitality, it is therefore regarded as one of the primary virtues in Exodus reading are reminded that they themselves had been poor and strangers, and just as God had taken pity on them, so they were to take pity on the stranger and outsiders. They were commanded to love the stranger as they loved themselves. They were to look into their own hearts and remember the time when they were out of their element. The act of hospitality turned the stranger into a guest who was then sacred and given the protection of the host.
Of course the ultimate offer of hospitality is the offer of love. Often the real stranger is not just the person we don't know, but sometimes the person we don't want to know, the person we refuse to love. The can often be someone we know well or even a family member, but we treat them as someone we don't want to get close to. There can be strangers in our own house, our own parish, still waiting to be welcomed and accepted. Sometimes these strangers can come by the boatload from other countries and can threaten us by their presence. They may have a language and custom that we do not understand. Does that then place them outside the arena of our concern? When is a stranger not worthy of our hospitality?
We are often scared to take people in because we are afraid of being taken in ourselves. We don't want to be duped or taken for a ride, and, let's face it seems to happen often as we hear of scammers and con artists. We all know that people can make demands on you and bleed you, but staying safe behind our locked doors has its own penalty. But remaining secure behind our locked doors has its own penalty: people die from being unvisited, behind locked doors and locked hearts, from caring only for themselves. We all need strangers and neighbours to test the quality of our mercy. When we respond we have the assurance that we minister to Christ: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me".
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References:
homily:- Fr Peter Dillon
Prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly
Abbot's Homily, The Monastery of Christ in the Desert Homily for October 22 2008.
Flor McCarthy. Sundays and Holy Day Liturgies. Year A.
Gutierrez, Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year.
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 1166415550 Norman, OK 8/28/2018 Close up of the bible verse: Matthew 22:37-39 love the Lord... Love your neighbor. By Jennifer Wallace
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A . (Sunday, October 25, 2020) (EPISODE: 257 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{May God's Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude abide in you.}}
Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pause and reflect upon our sins, in order to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
Lord Jesus, you call your people to turn away from sin: Lord, have mercy//You teach us wisdom, and write your truth in our inmost heart: Christ, have mercy//You forgive sins through the ministry of reconciliation: 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 I
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side. pwk: LH
(theme variation: 3 )
(pre+post variation: 1)
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{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 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 Trisha 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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