Roman Catholic Reflections and Homilies

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. -Year B - Sunday, 8 September 2024 (EPISODE:495)

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. -Year B - Sunday, 8 September 2024 (EPISODE:495)

Readings for Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.- Year B
FIRST READING: Isa 35:4-7a
Ps 146:6c-7, 8-9a, 9b-10. "Praise the Lord, my soul!"
SECOND READING: Jas 2:1-5
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Matt 4:23). Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom. And healed all who were sick.
GOSPEL: Mark 7:31-37

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock AI-generated image ID: 2422767643 - Outdoor photo of Jesus heals the blind man, Important information: This content was generated by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system. AI-generated image Contributor: Shutterstock AI Generator.

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 8 September 2024 - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-23rd-sunday-ordinary-time-year-b-episode-495/s-HCS6APx3x7L
(EPISODE:495)
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PROLOGUE:

In the early years of the church, it would have been a real change of mindset for Christians when they gathered as one group. The rich and the very poor, master and the slave, would have to sit down as equals in God's house. The name we use is Christian, and being followers of Christ requires that long, slow journey of changed attitudes and actions and a forming of new mind with God's grace. (FHL).

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Thank goodness for the letter of Saint James. It's a wonderful practical instruction that remains very relevant today, as it did back in the time of its original writing. Faith and discipleship have very practical implications.

Following Jesus means a radical transformation of attitude, behaviour and vision. We're called to be people who can see beyond appearances. People who don't settle on worldly standards of value but are trained by our loving God to see the world as God sees it, and to see the true value of people and of things around us with the standards of Christ's gospel.

The gospel investigates the heart of the person, not the outward appearances, and that goes to the true spirit of the law and not just the letter, which values the "doing" more than the mere "saying." This is why Jesus calls us to constantly pray, to spend our time meditating on the scriptures and pondering their meaning. This is why we're called to gather in community and not try and go it alone, to be supported and challenged by the teachings of the faith community as it journeys towards the fullness of Jesus' kingdom.

Our Lord, while healing the man in today's gospel, says to him, "be opened," and he says to each one of us too, "be opened." Be opened to my new way of seeing things in the world. Be opened to listening and hearing God's ways in your lives.

We could spend a long time reflecting on the implications of the message in today's letter from St. James. With its resounding clarity, do not make distinctions, do not judge by outward appearances. The ordinary worldly standard of judging by wealth or status is not applicable in God's kingdom.

In fact, if any preference is to be given, it's to the poor, the needy, the outcast, the widow, the orphan, the sinner, the one who's most struggling. In the gospel, the description of the physical journey taken by Jesus is very interesting. It's a long, long journey.

Geographically, it's a bit odd. It's a bit like saying, comparative to local geography here, that Jesus travelled by foot from the equivalent of surface paradise in southeast Queensland, heading for Brisbane, but via Canungra and Tamborine Mountain. That was not in any sense a shortcut, quite the opposite.

It's the long way around, the long, long way around. This journey in Jesus' own homeland was purposeful, slow, and isolated in many areas. It's fairly clear that Jesus was taking the slow, steady journey to go out of his way to meet people who were often forgotten on the edges of the geography of the area.

And also, it was a slow journey to take lots of quality time to be alone with his disciples at some length, to slowly but surely teach them and to reveal to them his radical and true vision of the kingdom of God, which was very different from what they expected from previous experiences and values. In the early years of the church, it would have been a real change of mindset for Christians when they gathered together as one group, because they met in church, the rich and the very poor. Even more interesting, the master and the slave would have to sit down as equals in God's house.

We too can fall into the trap of making distinctions, being partial or biased, or having favouritism. The name we use is Christian, and being followers of Christ requires that long, slow journey of changed attitudes and actions, and a forming of new mind with God's grace, where Christ's thinking and values replace our old earthly values. In many ways, it's a lifelong journey, and along the way we might stumble, or we may occasionally fall back into attitudes and behaviours that are not the ways of Jesus, and are really nothing more than the ways of the world around us.

So we have to be vigilant, we have to be on our guard against these traps, these contradictions, these hypocrisies, that can arise even in the most well-meaning of disciple of Christ. Any contradictions of our own behaviour as Christians are things which non-Christians, even though they may not share our beliefs, are very quick to notice and point out. Non-Christians often claim that any perceived inconsistency in our behaviour, as compared with the message of the Gospel, is a real barrier to our credibility.

St James in the second reading would agree with that. There are so many ways, big and small, where we can often unwittingly, without realising, contradict the radical message of Jesus. St James says that partiality, favouritism and self-interest have nothing to do with the Gospel.

It's also a slow and subtle start of a form of cronyism and favouritism and corruption that, in secular societies as well as in religious communities, is absolutely poisonous. Any sense of entitlement or partiality can derail a community. It would certainly move it further away from the Gospel of Christ.

We must be on our guard against it, and it's an easy mistake to fall into. We can all be tempted to trade in the message and vision of Jesus, and swap it for a pale, watered-down, self-serving imitation of Christianity. Jesus invites us, be opened, be open to my ways, be opened to my values and vision.

Our Lord offers to heal us of any spiritual barriers that prevent us from seeing and hearing the truth of our own values and motives, and the truth of how close we are to Jesus' values; or how far we are from Christ's values. So, our Lord gives the man back his hearing. God still achieves that today in ways that go beyond that particular example of healing.

God invites and allows people to be open and truly hear him, to truly perceive. But God knows that the more faithfully one listens to God's unique voice within our hearts, where the Spirit of God lives, the better one hears what's happening outside us. We too add to the chorus of voices saying, "he does all things well."

As always, Our Lord manages to transform the most trying of situations, passing through the bitter valley and in its wake, making it a place of springs.
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References:

Homily – & Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly

William Barclay – the Daily Study Bible, on James 2, and Mark's Gospel. THE WESTMINSTER PRESS, Philadelphia. Revised Edition. 1976

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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B -(Sunday, 8 September 2024) (EPISODE: 495 )
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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{{Shalom (peace)}} welcome everyone, we gather - Reflect upon the Holy Scriptures and the values of the Lord. On this Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

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.
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of peace. Lord have mercy You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ have mercy You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. 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 146:6c-7, 8-9a, 9b-10. "Praise the Lord, my soul!"

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Matt 4:23). ). Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom. And healed all who were sick.
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PREFACE: ordinary 3
Eucharistic Prayer 2
(theme variation: theme 1 )

(post version: v1-short)

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{11. I pray that you have a wonderful and grace-filled week.}

1. 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 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.

"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. 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.)

Voice to text transcription by TurboScribe.ai (edited by P.Kelly)

[Production - KER - 2024]

May God bless and keep you.
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Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 1 September 2024

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. -Year B - Sunday, 1 September 2024 (EPISODE:494)

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Vector ID: 2246270587 - Saint Joseph is working as a carpenter with the boy Jesus helping. Vector Contributor -rudall30

GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND

Homily: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 1 September 2024

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-22nd-sunday-ordinary-time-year-b-episode-494/s-L0XRbVSaqAf

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Readings for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B

FIRST READING: Deut 4: 1-2, 6-8

Ps 15: 2-3a, 3b-4a, 4b-5. "The just will live in the presence of the Lord."

SECOND READING: Jas 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (James 1: 18). Alleluia, alleluia! The Father gave us birth by his message of truth. That we might be as the first fruits of his creation.

GOSPEL: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

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HAPPY FATHERS DAY

This weekend, the first Sunday of September, we give thanks to all Fathers for their love, care and generosity. We pray that God grants them joy in their family and friends, as well as health and strength.

Also, for all fathers who have passed into eternal life, may God give them a permanent place at the heavenly feast, the reward for all their goodness and kindness.

Happy Father's Day to all our Dads in the community. May God bless you and grant you peace and joy.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
This weekend's readings take a very practical angle on the meaning of discipleship. We are called to take special care to be just, honest, and charitable toward everyone. What a different tone the world would take if everyone took that angle.

As Christians, properly applying our religious beliefs leads to significant practical consequences for our lives and actions. The readings this weekend send a powerful message: What is the point of calling ourselves "Disciples of Christ and servants of God" (in other words: "Christians"), unless our practical actions REFLECT justice, SHOW charity, really put forgiveness into action and REVEAL loving/practical acts of kindness (that God asks us to show to one-another).

'True and untarnished religion is this: acting justly, helping the poor, the widow and the orphan.' - In fact, helping all those who are most in need. Jesus warns his critics that if their religion goes no further than blind observation of symbolic rituals, whilst at the same time not living the message of practical love, kindness, and fairness, it will do no good whatsoever. The sacraments SHOW, AND POINT TO, AND STRENGTHEN God's compassion and love abiding within us – This is the nature and purpose of Christ's sacraments - They convey to us, in a real, touchable way, Christ, who is love, mercy, justice and compassion.

"The value of a person's good works is not based on their number and excellence," says Saint John of the Cross, "but on the love of God within them, which prompts the person to do these things in the first place." [Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)]

"Love, justice, and charity are the more key indicators of authentic discipleship than mere outward observances of one's rituals. Ideally, the two go together and reinforce and nurture each other."
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It's clear from the Gospel that by the time of Jesus, people had indeed started adding to God's law and loading people down with unnecessary burdens and difficult observances that for most people were impossible to achieve. So, living in God's favour became something that most people couldn't do, and it was only reserved for the lucky minority. Most people were too busy just keeping alive and dealing with the everyday practicalities of living and surviving to observe all these rules and rituals.

Holiness and peace had become rare commodities which were now well beyond the reach of most people. That was never God's plan. The whole point of God's law was that it was given to people for their welfare and growth, so that people could deeply live and reflect the love, the values and priorities of God in their actions and attitudes.

I particularly like the scripture passages that expressly name the virtues and qualities of Christian life. As you name them, it feels as if it stirs up the desire to deepen those virtues in our hearts. It's as if those values and virtues start to take deeper hold in our souls as we think about them, as we reflect on them.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord by means of this, walking in the ways of blamelessness, acting with justice, speaking honestly, avoiding wrongdoing, not gossiping or slandering others, honouring the Lord, keeping our promises, not ripping off people, not allowing oneself to be bought off from their principles, not selling out.

The second reading from James confirms this practical advice, that we should always aim to do what the word tells us, and not just listen to it and deceive ourselves. That's a very powerful reminder that we can easily deceive ourselves about our true motives and intentions, but we should be on guard against such self-justifications.

Not merely us saying, I'm doing this for the good of others, I have no self-serving motives in my actions, but rather the test of pure unspoiled religion is coming to the help of people who are in need, distancing oneself from the values of the world that are not consistent with the Gospel. Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus warns us about people who honour God with only lip service, and all the while their hearts are actually very far from God. Our Lord asks us to look deep inside our hearts and see the things that distort our faithfulness.

These are the inner movements of the heart, and they can be, and need to be, crowded out by the positive values, the graces and virtues that God gives us to counteract them, namely faithfulness, purity, reverence, respect, detachment from material things, love, honesty, appreciation, affirmation, self-sacrifice, and so on. The virtues of the Gospel build us up, and they crowd out anything that is inconsistent with the Gospel. There's simply no room for those negative qualities because God has filled us with all the good values.

Christianity is not primarily a set of doctrines and laws. Christianity is, first and foremost, a person, Jesus, and a relationship with that person, Christ, who is the revelation of God and the perfection of the law. Christianity is a relationship, not a concept or philosophy, and certainly not just a set of rules.

Whenever Christianity is turned into mere concepts or a set of rules and philosophies alone, it gets disconnected from the person and values of Jesus, which should be at the very core, a living core, a living heart of love. Naturally, there are rules and doctrines and dogmas in Christianity. There certainly are, but all of them serve to point us to Christ, who is the one rule, the one Word.

In the Gospel today, Jesus was struggling valiantly against legalism. The lawmakers and the law keepers seemed to be more interested in what people could not do, rather than focusing on what they could be doing and should be doing in response to life's real issues and problems. Our Christian faith is about positive acts as well as refraining from negative ones.

The lawmakers in Jesus' time focused too much on appearances and outward actions, ignoring the inner realities of their terrible attitudes, their lack of love, their hypocrisy. They were focusing more on what one should refrain from doing, rather than encouraging and promoting the inner growth of the heart, nurturing those attitudes and loving responses towards others. There's a certain safety in refraining from doing things and avoiding things.

One hardly risks getting hurt if one does not do anything. But when one loves, we open ourselves to being hurt. Not that we want to be hurt, but it's what happens. It is the risk of love. We reach out, and that can make us vulnerable.

Jesus corrected the errors of these legal people. Jesus is shown positively living his message by his actions.

I love this saying, "Christianity is a verb, not a noun." It is about doing, as well as being. As we see our Lord going through life, loving, sharing, forgiving, healing, including, uplifting, unburdening, feeding, encouraging, and risking everything and giving everything out of love, giving absolutely everything in his desire to address every genuine human need.
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References:

Homily - Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed.

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Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B -(Sunday, 1 September 2024) (EPISODE: 494 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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welcome everyone, we gather - Listen to God's Word and contemplate the sacraments. On this Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

As we begin the Holy Eucharist, let us acknowledge our sinfulness, so as to worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God's kingdom: Lord, have mercy You come in word and in sacrament to strengthen us and make us holy: Christ, have mercy You will come again in glory with salvation for your people: 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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Ps 15:2-3a, 3b-4a, 4b-5. "The just will live in the presence of the Lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (James 1:18). Alleluia, alleluia! The Father gave us birth by his message of truth. That we might be as the first fruits of his creation.
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PREFACE: Ordinary 2
Eucharistic Prayer 1
(theme variation: theme 4 )

(post version: v2-short)

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

4. Go in peace.

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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=85b9ddd494b242276d423bfe9&id=002282d9e0

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Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Homily: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 25 August 2024 - (EPISODE:493)

Homily: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 25 August 2024 - (EPISODE:493)

Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Vector ID: 2446001941 -Jesus Christ Priest holding the Host and Chalice Colored Vector Illustration — Vector Contributor: Luis Fraga

GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND

Homily: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 25 August 2024 - (EPISODE:493)

Readings for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B

FIRST READING: Josh 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Ps 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21. "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord."

SECOND READING: Eph 5: 21-32

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. John 6: 63c+68c). Alleluia, alleluia! Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. You have the words of everlasting life.

GOSPEL: John 6: 60-69

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-21st-sunday-ordinary-time-year-b-episode-493/s-0cW09BkKBDT

- (EPISODE:493)

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* (Prologue: Fr Paul Kelly)

Trust in Our Lord, especially in trying times.

This weekend's readings remind us that God is faithful to us and we should not let challenges stop us from trusting in God's care and protection.

In the first reading, the people wisely choose to continue to trust in their God rather than chase after false idols. They REMEMBER the care and protection God gave them in the past, and continue to trust in God.

The psalm also reminds us that we should continue to sing of God's praises and God's gifts. God has made a covenant with us like a husband and wife make a covenant with each other in marriage. It is one of equality and looking out for the needs of the other because they are truly a part of each other.

In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the people with his revolutionary teaching on the Eucharist. Some of his followers are horrified and turn away - refusing to follow him anymore. The Apostles refuse to stop following him because they rightly say, "Where else could we go? YOU have the words of everlasting life."

It is so important, especially in times of difficulty, challenge and change, that we all continue to remember the graces, give thanks for God's gifts and keep trusting in God's wisdom and guidance. For Jesus does indeed have the answers, even though he leads us through a new and often challenging territory.

Homily -

In the first reading, the people are faced with a decisive question. Will we keep following the Lord, or will we go after other priorities and values and chase after false gods?

The people's response is very good, and it's very telling. We have no intention of deserting the Lord our God because God brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, and God worked great wonders before our eyes and preserved us along the way.

This is yet another example of the people remembering. The people are calling to mind very clearly the blessings and graces of the past. If we don't keep remembering the gifts of the past, we will almost certainly fall by the wayside.

We must keep thanking God, and remembering the countless blessings and graces that God has already given us along our life's journey. Then we too can say to the Lord, "we have no intention of deserting you."

And this leads us to the psalm as it says, "Bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips."

The second reading is meant to be understood as acknowledging the equality and dignity of a man and a woman, and encouraging people to put each other first, the way one would treat one's own self and one's own needs. It seems to me that when this is practiced, the needs of both are respected as if they were one's own needs, a recipe for a very respectful and loving marriage.

The gospel affirms Jesus as the source of all inspiration and all grace.

In the midst of very challenging new concepts and ideas that really challenge the would-be disciple, there's this simple reply, Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life and we believe, and know that you are the Holy One of God.

This foundational belief in Jesus being our source of eternal life and of truth, allows us to keep trusting, keep believing and keep going deeper into our heart and soul; so that we will truly follow Jesus, even in times of challenge, especially in times of challenge. It's easy to be a disciple and follower of God when things are going right, and everything's good, but it's much more challenging when the path is very, very rough.

In this life, we must constantly be alert to keep our faith alive; and this requires a daily decision to abide deeply in God's word, to let God's word form us and fill us up, and to allow the word to convert everything that's not consistent with the Lord's values. This means daily prayer, daily spiritual reading, reflection on the scriptures and an openness to the formation and challenges of our Lord's eternal, life-giving word, words which challenge and impel us ever more forward, and often take us well out of our comfort zones.

Naturally, there are many good things about the society and the world we live in, but there are some strong values and philosophies that are so dominant and so powerful in our society that if we were to accept them, it could make our lives really miserable.

Some values in our world are clearly not consistent with the gospel, and can send us down a path of futility. For example, the way the secular world assesses the value of the person.

The world is stuck only in the flesh and puts too much importance on appearances. It doesn't understand the differences between "doing" and "being." It only takes a little to see that if you scratch the surface of modern society, some very worrying values in our society are quite inconsistent with Christ's message.

For example, there's a concerning attitude where a person might say, my whole value is in my job. Now our jobs are important, but to say my value is so much caught up in my job that without my job, I am nothing, that's not consistent with Jesus' message or actions. Also, if I were to say my true value is in my abilities to be able to do certain things, so if I can't do those things anymore, I am worthless. That's also misleading.

That's not of Christ. Christ has given each of us intrinsic value within ourselves. We are valuable.

We are precious. We are sacred in and of ourselves, irrespective of what we do or what we're able to do or what job we have or where we stand in society. We are precious and valuable in ourselves – simply and completely because we are beloved children of God.

So when people say my value is in what I own, or I'm valuable because of where I stand on the ladder of society, what happens if I lose my possessions or lose my reputation or social standing? Am I of no value at all? The world may say that. People may say that. Christ definitely does not say that!! – And Christ's view is decisive and always true!

Jesus shows us clearly where our true value lies. Our value is in being eternally beloved sons and daughters of a loving God. That reality NEVER changes, no matter what the changes of time and circumstances brings.

But Jesus' words are too hard for many people and they stop following him, which is really tragic because although Christ's worldview is challenging and new and requires a real change of heart and mind, it is freeing and very helpful, especially when so many other passing things, that we depend upon fail us, or cease to be accesible.

Christ's values never end. Thank goodness, Jesus doesn't water down his teachings or his message when people find it a bit hard to accept.

In fact, he steps up the strength of his message even more, in the face of resistance and rejection.

He will not back down. Jesus even turns to his disciples and says, "are you going to leave too?" And, (inspired by the Holy Spirit), Saint Peter replies, bravely and truthfully, "where else could we go? There's nowhere else to go. You have the words of everlasting life. You have the truth."

Why would we turn away from the truth, no matter how challenging it is?

Lord, help us to keep following your ways, even when they're most challenging, and help us to reject anything that is contrary to your values. May your life transform our hearts, and may your gospel transform our lives.

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References:

Homily –Fr Paul W. Kelly

Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of John Part I. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press.

Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. . [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies/

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B (Sunday, August 22, 2021) (EPISODE:317 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{Good day, everyone}} Welcome everyone; we gather - Ponder with reverence, God's word and sacrament.

As we prepare to celebrate the tremendous Sacramental feast of God's love, let us pause, recall our sins, and trust God's infinite 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 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21 . "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. John 6: 63c+68c). Alleluia, alleluia! Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. You have the words of everlasting life.
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PREFACE: Sundays iii
ep ii

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{I am very grateful for you joining in at this special time of prayer and reflection. }

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

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 (Bill) 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.

v Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software

v NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

v Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[Production - KER - 2024]

May God bless and keep you.