Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, January 30, 2022
(EPISODE: 348)
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 2056914833 - ROME, ITALY - AUGUST 28, 2021: The fresco of prophet Jeremiah in church San Girolamo dei Croati by Pietro Gagliardi (1847-1852). Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
Readings for Sunday, January 30, 2022 - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
FIRST READING: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
Psalm 71:1-2, 3, 5-6, 15+17. "I will sing of your salvation"
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 or 13:4-13
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 4:18cd). Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord has sent me to bring Good News to the poor and freedom to prisoners.
GOSPEL: Luke 4:21-30
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, January 30, 2022, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-fourth-sunday-of-ordinary-time-year-c-episode-348?si=29870eaa8c694946a26b28645e87d348&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing (EPISODE: 348)
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*Prologue (Fr Paul Kelly)
This weekend's gospel could be entitled: "How quickly a friendly crowd can turn nasty."
The wonderful second reading can be used as a key to understanding the dynamic going on between Jesus and the people in the Synagogue of Nazareth……
Jesus is the visible expression of God, who is complete love…. Everything Jesus did and said was out of LOVE, and no other reason… even when he spoke a challenging message … it was lovingly inviting the people to be open to the ways of God… to open their minds and hearts…. Reject any narrow views. By contrast, the people become enraged… even when Jesus was only speaking the truth…. They took huge offence and became angry and defensive and wanted to kill him… so, they were not acting out of love… for love takes no offence… rather it Seeks only to build up.
Initially, the crowd is astonished and impressed with Our Lord's speech, but then when Jesus starts to tell them some home truths, that challenge or stretch their thinking, and move them out of their comfort zone.....well that is entirely a different matter. Suddenly they do not like what they are hearing. They become murderously angry. Now they reject his message, even though his message is quite evidently true. They say… "Who does he think he is, he is just the carpenter's son! What would he know?"
Attacking the person (or qualities about the person), rather than dealing with the substantial content of the actual message. In cricketing terms, I think it is called "playing the person, not the ball." Whenever a person dismisses something another is saying, based on irrelevant qualities, surely it is because they do not want to hear something that challenges their viewpoint. Attacking the person rather than the issue seems to have become an all-too-common error in this day and age. But we need to see it and name it for what it is, a simple but very effective defence mechanism to avoid facing an inconvenient truth. In fact, the stronger and faster and more violent and angry reaction is to an evidently true observation, this shows the enormous level of resistance a person or group of people has built up around that false reality.
Our Lord shows us that it is not sufficient to know the words of Scripture off by heart. The people listening to him knew all-too-well the words of the Sacred Scriptures. These lines were extremely familiar to the people of that time. They knew them by heart. But, people were comfortable with the Scriptures. Over many years, they had found satisfying interpretations of the Bible that did not unsettle or challenge them. Now, suddenly Our Lord is interpreting and teaching the meaning of these old familiar texts in a way that is new and unsettling. The way Our Lord was teaching was making them feel uncomfortable and suddenly he shook their complacency. He particularly pointed out that merely belonging to the "chosen people of Israel" was not all that mattered. God has helped and welcomed people who were not part of the Chosen Ones.
Having said this, Our Lord did not wake up each morning and say: "now what can I do that will get people so riled up that they will want to throw me off a cliff?" Rather, Christ acted and taught with compassion, love, and grace. His honesty and passion opened up issues that sadly some violently reacted to. He wanted people to open up and be transformed by God's different ways.. but this means being brave enough to be unsettled and uncomfortable and open to the different.
The crowd did not like what they were hearing! So, what do they do? Did they open their hearts and minds to widen their understanding and grow into Christ's Kingdom? No ! Instead they do what people have done throughout history to challenging and unsettling messages, they try to throw the messenger off the nearest cliff (literally in this present case). But isn't this what they mean by the saying "don't shoot the messenger." This gospel is a powerful lesson. It might be a natural human defence to reject ideas or people that unsettle us in a reflex reaction. When we find ourselves challenged or unsettled by some news, instead of rejecting it out of hand, we can rely on God's grace and open our hearts to what the Lord might be inviting us to understand. To stay in the discomfort zone and give respect to the messenger. The Gospels give us the values and wisdom to test the fruits according to the ways of Christ, amidst confusion and uneasiness.
The people have become infuriated and violent towards Jesus – so they drag him outside and mean to throw him off a very tall cliff. What happens next, if it wasn't such a scary and dangerous situation… would almost seem comical - because Jesus is described as simply slipping through the crowd and walking away unnoticed.
You could almost visualize the crowd disappearing up the hill, as Our Lord walks casually away in the opposite direction. What a sight! When they get up to the top of the hill, their anger and denial have become so blinding that they look around and realise that the very object of their anger has vanished. Holding on to our own selfish mindsets can be so powerful that we can even lose sight of the original thing that challenged us.
Was Our Lord so ordinary looking, so average, so unnoticeable in those people's eyes that they lost sight of him and did not even notice he was no longer amongst them, in the crowd gathered to throw him off the cliff? In so many ways, 'they just did not "get him" or his message.' They could not really see him or understand him for who he was.
Let us be vigilant to ensure that we never fall into this same trap as did the unteachable and angry crowd.
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Homily (Fr Peter Dillon)
4th Sunday Ordinary time Year C 2022
The readings of today's Gospel passage as well as the Second reading from St. Paul should be very familiar, perhaps because they remind us of the reality of our own lives and the standards that we wish we could live by.
Once again we find Jesus speaking words that, although truthful are too difficult to hear. So what do we do when faced with an unpleasant truth or challenging choice? We "shoot the messenger", so to speak, we try to discredit the person speaking when we cannot refute the essence of the message. While some of the crowd are awed by his gracious words, others are more concerned about his pedigree and address. Jesus for his mission to humankind had to face local suspicion and gossip. Essentially he found, as we do, that prophets are accepted provided they come from somewhere else, and don't say things we are not ready to hear.
Clearly, Jesus is not free from local prejudice, he is not above the haphazard way that people look at other people. Firstly, they complain that Jesus performs no local wonders while letting him know that they disbelieve in him anyway. When he tells them his mission is addressed to all people, they become angry. Even though they don't like what he is saying they are selfish enough to think that they should be the only ones to hear it.
But let's not point the finger too quickly at their fickleness, because we reject our prophets all the time. Sometimes the truth is too confronting because it does not conform to our perceived ideas. That's what Jesus congregation is saying, "How can he know anything? He is not our idea of a prophet".
To accept the prophet we must give up our perceived ideas of where we will find the truth and be ready to accept it in many disguises. It is one of the concerns we must address in the Plenary Council presently taking place in the Australian Catholic Church. Can we let go of our long-held notions to be able to hear something that might be vastly different to what we have accepted or feel comfortable with?
Secondly, we reject those prophets who come to us with demands. When the teachings of Jesus require us to change our behaviour and to sometimes surrender our comfortable lifestyle, then it becomes all too demanding and we turn our backs on our faith and ultimately on God. What did Jesus say? "If we love only those who love you back, what reward is that." If we only greet our family and friends what more are we doing than others. Turn the cheek if someone strikes you. Forgive your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you." If only Jesus had given us easy things to do then more people would believe in him.
Jesus speaks hard sayings. There is no denying that. He challenges our preconceptions. He asks us to see him in the poor and disenfranchised. Shall we reject the prophet who comes to us in this way? Shall we rise up against him?
When we realise that he is speaking the truth then we experience an inner conflict.
How can we find the resolve to make the changes that we know are required? It is really turmoil within ourselves, to try to walk down the path less travelled that will lead to the destination that we seek, but that road itself seems to have too many hills to climb.
That is why the message of Paul to the Corinthians today is so practical and sensible. He speaks of the quality of love that can endure whatever comes. The love that we require needs to be patient and kind yet sometimes has the face of impatience and unkindness, sometimes ready to condemn and take pleasure in the failings and weaknesses of others. While we want our love for others to be satisfying and productive, according to Paul we must accept that love can be a tough programme, but we cannot reject it because we know he speaks the truth. The lessons that are hardest to learn are the ones we remember for life.
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References:
prologue by Fr Paul W. Kelly
Homily by fr peter Dillon
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 2056914833 - ROME, ITALY - AUGUST 28, 2021: The fresco of prophet Jeremiah in church San Girolamo dei Croati by Pietro Gagliardi (1847-1852). Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C (Sunday, January 30, 2022) (EPISODE: 348)
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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{{Goodness and faithfulness to you all}}
Coming together as Gods family, let us call to mind our sins.
option two on the cards/ Have mercy on us, O Lord./ For we have sinned against you./ Show us, O Lord, your mercy. And grant us your salvation.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Psalm 71:1-2, 3, 5-6, 15+17. "I will sing of your salvation"
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 4:18cd). Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord has sent me to bring Good News to the poor and freedom to prisoners.
Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays III
EP II
Communion side. pwk: LH
(theme variation: v2)
(pre+post variation: v1-lshort)
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{my heartfelt thanks for your participation in this time of reflection, prayer and praise.}
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.
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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.
Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: - Shure MV5-USB
Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor
[Production - KER - 2022]
May God bless and keep you.
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[ Production - KER - 2022]
May God bless and keep you.
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