Homily - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, October 1, 2023 (EPISODE:441)

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, October 1, 2023
(EPISODE:441)

Readings for Sunday, 1 October 2023
FIRST READING: Ezek 18:25-28
Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. "Remember your mercies, O lord."
SECOND READING: Phil 2:1-11 or 2:1-5
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 10:27). Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.
GOSPEL: Matt 21:28-32

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 86557228 - Ezekiel by Carlo Chelli on the Colonna dell'Immacolata, Rome, Italy base. Photo Contributor: Only Fabrizio

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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily) for Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, October 1, 2023, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-twenty-sixth-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-episode-441/s-gpen4NdjK6a (EPISODE:441)
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[Gospel values included in this weekend's readings: Doing the will of the Father is much more important than merely giving God lip service. Also, God is not unjust, even if God's ways are unlike ours.]

 

I think that today's gospel, although very short, is really key teaching in Christ's gospel.  It goes to the heart of what Our Lord was doing and saying.

 

Jesus taught several times about the danger of a mere outward observance of religion.

 

Much more important, (and ultimately the only thing that really matters), is that one is faithful to the truth of God's message by DOING God's will, irrespective of whether one SEEMS to be living up to the message or not. 

 

Appearances can (so often) be quite deceiving.

 

 This parable of the two sons – one disobedient and the other obedient, is essential.

 

St. Paul picks up on this same theme in his famous and popular first letter to the Corinthians 12:31 "… If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but do not have

 love, I am merely a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the power of prophecy, and understand all mysteries of the universe, and If I had all knowledge and faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. I gain nothing if I give away all my possessions and hand over my body but do not have love."

 

This teaching is so central to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who wrote that she took no comfort from praise and experienced little distress from criticism.   She knew, as in the gospel, that a person could be praised for an action that appears charitable, whilst all the time, inwardly (unknown to others), the person's motive is actually not consistent with God's ways…   Likewise, a person might be motivated by utter kindness, but their actions are mistaken for selfishness and malice. The message appears clear; we are to do what is right and loving, in imitation of Our Lord's generous kindness, irrespective of how others might judge it.  We are to act lovingly justly and humbly even in situations where appearances are deceptive.  We are invited to gently brushing aside both criticisms and compliments, in favour of standing judged by God alone, as to how well and truly we loved. Only God can judge this, no matter how well we pride ourselves in being good judges of character.  Only God can truly see into the heart and mind of his creations and see what truly exists within us. We strive to avoid jumping to conclusions about people's motives.  The motives of others and their inner heart are ultimately only fully known to God alone. We know this intuitively but often find it hard to implement.

 

Let us ask the Lord to help purify our inner life… and make our inner attitudes match our outward words and actions so that everything we do, in thought, word and action, be motivated by a true love of God. And Love of neighbours as ourselves….  

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Fr Paul W. Kelly

 

The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. (1898)].

 

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 86557228 - Ezekiel by Carlo Chelli on the base of the Colonna dell'Immacolata, Rome, Italy. Photo Contributor: Only Fabrizio  

 Also found at -   https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk
 



Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A  (Sunday, October 1, 2023)  (EPISODE:441)
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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{{May God's Spirit of knowledge and reverence}} Welcome everyone, we gather -  Reflection upon God's word. On this Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A

As we prepare to celebrate the great Sacramental feast of God's love, let us pause, recall our sins, and trust in God's infinite mercy.
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
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 you have set us free by your Cross and Resurrection.
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Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. "Remember your mercies, O lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 10:27). Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary III
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side.  pwk: 
(theme variation: 1 )

(post version: v1-long)

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{Many thanks for participating in this time of praise and reflection upon our loving God.}

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:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

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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 (1942-2017) - 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 Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.

Editing equipment:    -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).

NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)

[ Production -  KER -  2023]

May God bless and keep you.
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