Sixth Sunday of Easter. -Year B - Sunday, 5 May 2024 (EPISODE: 477)

Sixth Sunday of Easter. -Year B -  Sunday, 5 May 2024 (EPISODE: 477)

 
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 2343074177 - Holy Family in Low Poly. Illustration Contributor - Lucas Almeida da Silveira.

Readings for Sixth Sunday of Easter.- Year B
FIRST READING: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 (diff)
Ps 98:1, 2-3a, 3b-4. "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power."
SECOND READING: 1 John 4:7-10
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: John 15:9-17
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Sixth Sunday of Easter. Year B - Sunday, 5 May 2024 - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-sixth-sunday-of-easter-year-b-episode-477/s-8BpUkpyePYu  
(EPISODE: 477)
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All of the weekend scripture readings say a lot about the core of Christ's message.  There are quite a few lines that jump out at me as we listen to the readings this weekend.
 
Lines such as these:
Saint Peter said to Cornelius: "Get up. I myself am also a human being."….. 
 
"the believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles …."
 
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
 
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
 
God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. ,…..he loved us first and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
 
Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
 
"I have told you  this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.
 
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends
 
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
 
These lines from the readings this weekend are profound and important, and worth deeper thought and reflection.
 
 In summary, what these lines say to me is, we must keep in mind that our Christian faith is not ultimately about us, but it is about God. That might, at first glance, seem to be an obvious truism, however, we do acknowledge that in a world where ME, ME, ME  is often front and centre,  we as a whole, can sometimes forget that we are merely men and women and not 'little gods' in charge of our destiny, and we are ultimately not the centre of our own world or the world around us. 
 
How wonderful that the Holy Spirit of God took initiative and fell upon Gentiles even before they were baptised. God's Spirit blows where it wills, inspires, and acts upon people in and outside the visible confines of religion and church and does what God wants.  That is also an important and humble corrective. We will never be able to limit God's generous and proactive activity in and among the peoples and cultures of the world. Nor should we ever want to stop this divine right of God to do as God wishes and act in and through whom God wants. (nor could we ever stop God anyway).
 
Also, the readings today remind us that God's very nature is LOVE. One cannot know God if we do not know love or show love. This love is to show itself in the way Jesus showed love. And the kind of love Jesus shows us is self-sacrificing love which gives and does not count the cost, and reaches out to give rather than grasping to possess. 
 
And in connection to this, God's desire and plan for us is to have joy to the full and to be not servants or slaves but friends who are willing co-workers and colleagues with God, in God's plans. We are indeed friends and colleagues with Jesus, but also friends who know our place in the sense that we never get a 'big head' and think that since we are "co-workers" and "friends" of Christ, we could ever "play God for our own benefit" over others.
 
So, today's readings say to me: Be joyful, be loving, be free, be friends, be not slaves and nor ever be begrudging labourers, but rather,  be as Christ showed us, because God is all about self-giving, self-forgetting love which reaches out to everyone without fear and favour, and which is about practical and joyful service and compassion which reduces ego and self-interest and acts and thinks more as a brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity rather than "them and us"    These are sound foundations upon which to build our true discipleship of Christ.    
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References:

Homily  Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 2343074177 - Holy Family in Low Poly. Illustration Contributor - Lucas Almeida da Silveira

Sixth Sunday of Easter.  Year B  -(Sunday, 5 May 2024)  (EPISODE: 477 )
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 Fortitude and self control abide with you.}} welcome everyone, we gather -  To take time to reflect upon the meaning of God's word for our everyday lives On this Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by recalling our sins and remembering Christ's greater mercy.
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord, have mercy . You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy . You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: 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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Ps 98:1, 2-3a, 3b-4. "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power."

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.
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PREFACE: Easter 5
Eucharistic Prayer 1
(theme variation: theme 3 )

(post version: v1-long)

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{10. thanks everyone. And may God sustain you with his grace and love.}

3. 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 the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by visting here:
https://surfersparadiseparish.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=85b9ddd594b242276d423bfe9&id=002282d9e0 

Details 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.

"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.

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


Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser. And (2024+) Rode Nt-1 + AI-1 Sound Mixer.

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 -  2024]

May God bless and keep you.
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