Paul's Reflections 5th Sunday of the Year - C.

7th February, 2010      5th Sunday of the Year - C

 

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All this weekend’s reading are about how “unworthy we feel in the presence of God”….//

 

This is natural….//. God is perfect…..// God is Love…. //  …..God is all things to all people….. //and we are …….human… //………………we are finite….. we are sinful…. We are weak……. //

 

In the face of God…our first reaction is, naurally, to say…  God… you are wonderful… but we are not worthy of you… we are flawed……   depart from us…   it’s a natural reaction…..

 

You know what stikes me about this weekend’s gospel….  St peter says to Jesus…  ‘depart from me, Lord, I am a sinful man….”    And Jesus seems to ignore this ….   But you know,  Peter was RIGHT…..   Peter later denies Jesus… not just once….. but THREE TIMES…..    so peter could very well have said to Jesus..  “I  TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!”

 

I TOLD YOU I was unworthy…  I ASKED you to depart from me, and you didn’t…. and here… I have PROVED that I was not worthy of you….. I denied you, not once, but three times….

 

But, here is the beautiful part…..  Jesus has the last say… Jesus always turns out to be correct……  Jesus KNEW the weakness and humanity of Peter….. he knew Peter’s strengths and weaknesses better than even Peter did….  He KNEW Peter was weak and imperfect…  but he STILL KNEW that Peter was perfect for his plans…. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves..  even if we don’t KNOW our potential… GOD DOES>>>

 

Jesus could very well reply to Peter…  Of COURSE I knew you would deny me, but I know you… and you are still the man I would choose….  I am the judge of what you can do…. Not you…..  trust in my call…….

 

This gospel is both beautiful and challenging…..  The disciples had fished all night and the ‘opportune’ time for fishing was now ended… but too often we give up, just short of the goal….  Here, Jesus’s keen eye sees more and Peter trusts in him… and says… ‘we have laboured all night, and the opportunity for fishing is now ended… but if YOU SAY SO>  I WILL put my nets out for a further catch… and what a catch it WAS…..   how often do we fail because we stop short of the goal…..

 

This gospel is really, really important.. because it find us in the everyday experience of our daily lives and actions…   in fact, ‘the gospel MUST be proclaimed on the basis of people’s daily lives. Apart from that experience, the proclamation of the gospel has no grasp on reality. “

 

Of course, we know ‘something’ about our own lives… but we must be willing to accept that God has a better view on the meaning and potential of our lives…  WE Are NOT the final judge of what we CAN or CANNOT do… of what we ARE and ARE NOT capable of. And ‘good for’ …. But God is….   God sees the same things as we do.. but God ‘makes meaning of those ‘same things’ quite differently.

 

Today’s readings are challenging for us…  they say to us…  if we are aware of our weakness and limitations.. that is no excuse to do nothing… rather… this is an invitation to do something  and to trust in God’s grace and love an achieve great things in union with Jesus and his message…

 

Jesus has left us the commandment of love.  If He were right in front of us, telling us that a particular action needs to be done, we would all surely obey Him.  But because normally Jesus does not appear that way in our lives, we can find ourselves being less than diligent in seeking His will and less than faithful in doing it. 

 

We can pray in the spirit of Saint Paul in today\'s second reading that God\'s grace will be effective in us, that no matter how often we are unfaithful that we may recognize God\'s faithfulness to us.  Let us give thanks for the graces given to us each day and may we deepen in our faithfulness to God\'s gifts. 

 

The More we trust Him, the more He can do through us.

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          2010 – A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE.

·          SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAY LITURGIES. YEAR C. FLOR MCCARTHY S.D.B.

·          SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.

·          THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF LUKE. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.

·          MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT’S HOMILY.

 

 

Paul's Reflections Third Sunday of the Year - C. 24th January, 2010

24th January, 2010      Third Sunday of the Year - C

 

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Jesus’ home town of Nazareth, was an important place…….   Some might have mistakenly assumed that Nazareth was a small country township, but in fact, it was a major centre, with a sizeable population, probably about 20, 000 people. This was a major city.

 

It was also in a very, very important location…..   the hill nearby was not just some minor feature….  If the boy Jesus, when he was growing up, had gone up that hill and peered over it….  The world, as it was then known, would have sprawled in front of him……   Before his eyes were the major trade and travelling routes from all the different regions……  Jesus would have watched the world go by as he sat there on that hill in nazareth.  And nearby (an hours walk from Nazareth), to this important town, was a town called Sepphoris, which was the location of Herod’s palace for a time…..  a town of beauty, prestige, privilege  and wealth…. A town Joseph and Jesus may very well have worked in, with carpentry work in this major time of building…

 

And so, Jesus’ speech in  Nazareth is timely and well-placed.  At the crossroads of the nations, God has intervened in our history… and has come to give us news… and thank goodness.. it is very good news indeed.

 

So, Jesus….  Reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah…  Its clear that Jesus was a regular attender of the Synagogue….  Every Saturday he would attend… he clearly appears to be accepted as a rabbi or a teacher…  as he is reading from the text and speaking about its meaning……  

 

Jesus observed the law of Moses and was faithful to his attendance at religious observance… even though there were clearly aspects about the way people were practising, that he must have found issue with, with which he must have felt they had lost focus…..  But he was still faithful to the practise of his faith….  He did not reject the religious institution of his day, even though it had become flawed and lost its direction in many ways…..

 

Jesus speech is really his mission statement…  this is what he is here to do… this is his purpose… and it stands in contrast to John the Baptist, who came declaring a time of judgement and uprooting.. and retribution…  and then  here comes Jesus..  declaring good news to the poor…  freedom to captives…   and to declare a time of God’s favour… its wonderful… its surprising and its very good news….

 

But it is also still bad news too..  its bad news to all who have made sure the world is arranged to suit themselves and disadvantage others…   Even Jesus’ good news will soon anger those who do not want everyone included in God’s invitation to be part of the family…..  But Jesus will not water down his message…..   

 

And we can ask ourselves…  who are the ‘poor’ to whom Jesus has come…. 

 

The poor are the hungry and the thirsty..

The poor are also the homeless and the sick..

People physically and emotionally or spiritually scarred…

Those suffering the burden of age…

The poor are also…The sad and depressed//

Those suffering injustice,

Those who are unemployed…   those struggling on low income..

The poor are also those who feel unloved, unwelcomed, unforgiven,  left-out…

The poor are also the alcoholics, and drug addicts…

The addictive gamblers…

Those who have enough food and shelter and comforts but do not know God and are missing much in their lives…

The list goes on…

The poor is all of us…  in one way or another…  we are all poor in some way…  we all desperately need the news Jesus has to give us… so this news from Jesus is for us..  and for all…  and we take heart that Jesus has us in mind when he begins his mission to save and help us… and free us from what imprisons and impoverishes us all…

 

The first step seems to be ‘freedom’ – if we are not free then things hold us back from being the loving people God calls us to be….  If we are not free, we are limited in what reponse we give to those in need…..  If we are not free…  we are trapped in thing that do not give us life….. and waste our time and energy on that which does not satisfy….

 

Jesus word’s are not merely ‘talk’  but rather…  they give us hope..  to trust in him. Jesus has the way to true and complete life, joy and fulfilment… He needs and wants to free us from things that bind us up and limit us.. and then the kingdom will flow in and through us… with unimaginable effects….   Let u trust in our Lord, who is good news.. in fact the best news we will ever hear….

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF LUKE. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.

·          SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAY LITURGIES. YEAR C. FLOR MCCARTHY S.D.B.

·          Abbots homily. Monastery of Christ in the desert.

 

Paul's Reflections Homily for January 13 2010. 2nd Sunday of the Year - 2010 Cycle C 2010

I am in Childers, Gin Gin and Biggenden this weekend for Masses, in my role as pastor of that region too, so Fr Emmanuel Sebastian will be celebrating Masses with you this weekend in Maryborough and Tiaro

Fr Paul.

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In the meantime, here is a homily from the Abbott of The Monastery of Christ in the Desert:

2nd Sunday of the Year – 2010 Cycle C 2010

Always this Sunday is the Sunday of the miracle at Cana, the miracle of turning water into wine. This means that the other two readings must be seen in the perspective of today\'s Gospel.

Certainly this miracle is one of the most delightful miracles in the Gospels. We hear Jesus tell his Mother: Woman, how does your concern affect me? It is clear that Jesus does not intend to cooperate. But Jesus is like the son later in the Gospels who at first says that he won\'t do something and then does it. Mary, His Mother, knows this already and simply tells the servants: Do whatever He tells you.

We can remember that Mary had lived with Jesus as her son now for perhaps thirty years. Like all mothers, she has a good understanding of how her son responds to situations. What a huge amount of wine Jesus makes! We expect huge amounts of water in any dry country, but huge amounts of wine are more difficult to come by! The people at this feast would have gone home, joyful with the drink given to them.

The first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah, can be understood in relationship to the Gospel fairly easily. The Prophet tells us that at some point Jerusalem will be restored to her great glory as the City of God. For us Christians, this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. His Holy Name is always associated with Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where Jesus is crucified and it is where He rises from the dead. Incredible glory!

The second reading, from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12, tells us of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This reading is also quite easily seen in the light of the Gospel today. God\'s plan of salvation is God\'s plan. Far too often we want to make it our plan. We disagree with our God. We get disappointed because the plan of salvation does not go the way we think that it should go.

Perhaps we are not given the gifts of the Spirit that we think we deserve.

Perhaps we think that we have not received any gifts of the Spirit.

Perhaps we are jealous of the gifts that we see in others. Perhaps we see no use in Christ Himself. Perhaps we have chosen to follow others gods in our daily practice even while we profess faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps we feel that God never answers our prayers. The list can go on and on as a sort of review for confession. What is important is that we begin to recognize within ourselves the complexity of our thinking and feeling. We need to be aware if we are in any way refusing the accept the gifts that God gives only to us or if we are desiring gifts that God has given to others.

We can ask this week that we would be like the servants in the Gospel and learn to do whatever Jesus asks of us. May the Holy Spirit give us this gift.

(From: Abbot Philip, OSB, The Monastery of Christ in the Desert Homily).

Paul's Reflections Baptism of Our Lord - C. 10th January, 2010

10th January, 2010      Baptism of Our Lord - C

 

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It has always been a bit of an intriguing thing that Jesus went to John the Baptist for Baptism. Why in the world did Jesus, God’s Son and our messiah, go to John the Baptist and request baptism.

 

John the Baptist was performing baptisms for the repentance of sin… and we believe Jesus was without sin….  So why was it so important that he be baptised….

 

But, in some way, calling John’s baptism a ‘baptism of repentance’  is a ‘shorthand’ summary of a much more complex reality.

 

Isn’t it true that those who were coming forward for John’s baptism, were not only saying they needed to repent from sin, but also..  John’s baptism represented an extraordinary Movement towards God by the people…../  It was a world-shaping.. and world shattering tme… when people were being called to a new and deeper relationship with their God…  a radical calling to be part of God;s Kingdom…..…. John’s preaching and his invitation for people to be baptised….  Was a definite public action to confirm that these people were wanting to be part of (and affiliated with) the movement of God’s Kingdom //…the Kingdom John the Baptist had been preaching about…..  and preparing the people for…

 

This was a key moment in Jesus’ ministry. From this point on, he would commence a public and urgent ministry….

 

Jesus didn’t need to be forgiven any sin… (in fact, in this gospel version of Jesus’ baptism, it doesn’t say Jesus is LOOKING for baptism… it says he accepts baptism after all the others are baptised…………).. so perhaps it is better to say… Jesus did feel the strong need to be identified and get behind the movement of the Kingdom that John was preaching… but Jesus was the fulfilment of the Kingdom that John the Baptist was preaching about…. And in this act of baptism.. that fact was made quite clear……..  Jesus was identifying with all those who were committing themselves to the public way of the Kingdom of God…..  which he embodies so perfectly and completely…. And when he was baptised.. the heavens resonated with that truth….

 

And Jesus actions were deeply successful….  The Father’s voice confirmed that this action he took was the right one…..  and that he was revealed to be the chosen one, the son of God….  in whom his Heavenly Father is most pleased…

 

The words used by the Father are interesting too… 

“you are my beloved Son”  psalm 2. (was a passage traditionally interpreted by the people of this time as a declaration of the Messianic King…../

“In whom I am well pleased..”  is a familiar line from the prophet Isaiah 42:1….  Which culminates in the suffering servant……..(chapter 53)… So, Jesus knew that his sonship and mission was always going to involve not glory and earthly dominion…. But suffering and the cross……..   The Cross loomed large in Jesus’ vision right from the outset….   But it makes sense in the total commitment of Jesus to the vision of God’s Kindgom…  which would challenge contrary powers and priorities and require all the love and sacrifice one could possibly muster… and Jesus embodies this total commitment to his Father’s vision for the world and us….

 

Finally..  Jesus baptism by John the baptism…did the opposite, in one sense, that it would do for us…   for us., it would forgive our sins… for Jesus… he made holy water that touched him….  By being baptised, Jesus invested baptism with the power of his presence and holiness…  and the power the Holy spirit…..  

 

We who have been baptised, are called to remember the fullness of the meaning of this baptism….   By being baptised…  ” we are permanently connected to Jesus Christ, and we share in his life and his relationship to the Heavenly Father.  Our baptism is a real  union with the life, values and person of Jesus who is God made flesh. Let us be stirred into constant practical action to live the Good news in our lives.

 

Our Baptism is intended to have real, permanent and practical effect in our lives.

 

Our baptism, echoing Jesus’ actions in the Jordan…  is a huge Yes..  by us…  saying we too want to share and immerse ourselves in the values and movement towards God that the Good news embodies….   We want to be connected to jesus who is utterly committed to the establishment of the Kingdom in its fullness ……  and we too, are aware of the cost of that commitment…   in love that serves…  love that suffers… and lives that make a difference and are founded on the values of Christ…

 

Let us ask Jesus, who made holy the waters of baptism, by his very self, to keep us committed to the vision of the kingdom in all ways and at all times… 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF MARK. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.

·          SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 3rd January, 2010.

3^rd January, 2010. FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

 

I may have mentioned before that, although tradition holds that there were three wise men… it actually doesn’t say in the bible how many wise men there are…. It only mentions that three types of present were given…..   in the eastern church, there is an alternate tradition that there were twelve wise men….  But really it doesn’t matter how many…. 

What does matter is that…  people from a foreign country, who were not members of the Jewish faith realised that a King had been born… a special King.. and they cam to give him homage… while others.. who were part of the religious tradition of Jesus did not and missed the opportunity….

One of the great messages from the readings of  today’s mass is that the light of divinity is revealed in Jesus, God made flesh, and shining through the humanity of Christ and that this light has been seen and accepted by others.  This is a challenging theme because lots of the time we humans do not recognize the divine light in the events and people of our daily life……...  We don’t recognize that light in Jesus Christ and we don’t always recognize it in one another.  We pray that we will recognise the light of Christ in each-other and in the events of our lives…. And cooperate with what God is doing there.

 

The gifts brought by the wise men are significant…

Gold,  frankincense and myrrh

Gold… for a King….

 

Frankincense  … a beautiful perfume… symbol of holiness

 

Myrrh…... a bitter perfume….   Used in anointing the dead…  a symbol of Christ’s humanity..  his suffering and his death for us… 

 

The Wise men recognised that Jesus was the revelation of God’s glory…   a priest, a prophet and a King…..    They worshipped him as King of all creation, they recognised his holiness… and they they forshadowed that he would save us by his suffering and death on the cross… by his giving of his life for us…..

Let us, in our prayer, in our actions and our priorities.. always recognise Jesus as our King, let us worship his holiness… and let us join him in his self sacrificing love… his loving service of others for the sake of the Good news… 

Another year has begun… I do pray that this has been a joyful and beautiful time for you and a time for rest, for family and for friends….   

It’s been a nice time for me to catch up with family …  my brother David, my sister-in-law Liz and their children … are up visiting this week… and it’s always nice to have family with me…..  

New Year is always a nice time to reflect on priorities and I think its also a wonderful time to make new year’s resolutions…  I find that not only a timely thing… I think it’s a very religious thing to do too….  It’s so important that we take stock and check to see that the direction we are on is consistent with the mission of Jesus’ good news in our lives… and that our plans and priorities are also consistent with Jesus who is our King, our God, and our salvation….  

Like the three wise men, we are here today to worship our Lord, revealed in the Lord Jesus…

 

But unlike the wise men, we have no gold….   But we give our love….

 

We have no frankinsense….but we give the lord our prayers….

 

We have no myrrh… but we give our work…  and ourselves.. at the service of our Lord…

 

Paul's Reflections Lent Week One March 1, 2009.

Lent Week One March 1, 2009. 

[ From this weekend’s Gospel, it is interesting to note that Jesus was driven…impelled into the wilderness…..   the power and the impelling nature of the Holy Spirit was so profound that it drove him out into the wilderness…..  he had to be there…..  and there he went through all manner of temptations and trials…….    and then appeared ready to proclaim that God’s Kingdom was now at hand……    Its also interesting that this gospel says that in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by the devil and also surrounded by all sorts of wild beasts… and also surrounded by angels……  two extremes….     earthly and heavenly…..   one could say that each of us is surrounded by both the earthly and the beastly ….. as well as the heavenly and the spiritual……   we have both in our lives… and there can be a powerful struggle, not to be underestimated between the two forces……    Lent is a time of denial, prayer and generosity… so that we might allow God’s grace to operate in our hearts and lives and unify us….   reconcile the beastly with the spiritual and make them one, which is the mystery of the incarnation of Christ _ Jesus is both fully human and fully divine…..   he has reconcilied what before that might have been considered to be incompatible..in his very self… in his life… and he invites us to share in his victory….  ]  

 

What follows now….is the joint Lenten message issued by both Archbishop John Bathersby, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, and Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane,  in this year commemorating 150 years since both dioceses were formed, and also 150^th anniversary of Queensland becoming a separate colony. For the first Sunday of Lent. 1^st March, 2009.

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We recognise and acknowledge that the Holy Spirit has been brooding over this ancient land and its peoples for thousands of years. In recent times – the last 150 years and more – knowledge of God has been given more concrete expression in the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

We give thanks and praise to God for the many blessings poured upon our respective churches over the last 150 years. We thank God especially for raising up generations of faithful men and women, who have witnessed to the love of God, known the grace of Jesus Christ, and who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, have practised Christ’s message and ministry of reconciliation and brought hope to others. They have lived as disciples of Christ, kept the faith, finished the race and shone as lights in our dioceses to the glory of God the Father; and have passed on a living faith to us.

 

We give thanks and praise to God for a growing together of our churches, recalling the prayer of Jesus “that they may all be one”. The personal friendship between past archbishops and bishops of our respective churches has been constant, and provided a springboard for a happy flowering of ecumenical co-operation, especially since the early 1960s.  This co-operation continues in our own time in many ways. Every year the bishops share a meal together and every year diocesan clergy come together for a day of common study and reflection. For 25 years the Brisbane College of Theology provided a common theological education for ordination candidates of both churches.                                                                                             

 

Every year the two cathedrals come together for common celebrations, such as the recent “street march” – part of the preparation for the Roman Catholic World Youth Day in 2008. We study together the documents of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, and AUSTARC – Australian Anglican Roman Catholic Conversations; we share sympathy regarding tensions within both communions, and we rejoice in local parish initiatives of co-operation. In 2008, Archbishop Bathersby (in his capacity as Chair of IARRCUM) was invited as a guest to the Anglican Lambeth Conference and this further consolidated the friendship we share. Perhaps the appeal to God for the precious gift of unity was best articulated in May 1984, when Archbishops John Grindrod and Francis Rush signed a Common Declaration at St John’s Cathedral, which highlighted the warm relationships between Anglican and Roman Catholic communities of the respective dioceses of Brisbane.

 

In an increasingly secular society, the churches recognise the value in solidarity and togetherness. But more than this, we are motivated by a desire to be obedient to Jesus who prayed “that they may all be one … so that the world may believe that you have sent me”.

 

As we stand at the beginning of Lent, a season inviting us to special recollection and reflection, we also recognise the shadows that have sometimes fallen over ecumenical co-operation. At times each church has frustrated the Holy Spirit. For many decades, there was little or no contact between the churches. Sectarianism, suspicion, and hardness of heart have been part of our common history too. We have been driven more by fear than love; more by self-protection than hope; lacking in both insight and will in responding to the demands of the Gospel. We have failed to do what we should have done. 

 

For this reason – and to make our keeping of Lent and our common 150th celebrations more authentic – we invite as many Anglicans and Roman Catholics as wish to do so, to join us at St John’s Cathedral on Friday, March 27, for a common act of repentance for our ecumenical and other failings of Christ over the last 150 years, and to re-dedicate ourselves to the work of Christ in co-operation and goodwill to one another in the years ahead.

 

As well, on Friday, May 29, we intend to renew the 1984 Common Declaration and sign a Covenant of Understanding. Through this covenant we seek and anticipate God’s blessings in the years ahead. We pledge ourselves among other things:

 

•           to continue to pray for one another

 

•           to hold a celebration of an annual Ecumenical Liturgy of  Reconciliation

 

•           to invite the bishops to preach in each other’s churches on appropriate  

           occasions

 

•           to continue the joint clergy day of shared prayer, discussion and reflection

 

•           to explore possibilities for co-operative use of church plant and resources

 

•           to explore possibilities for further co-operation in theological education,

           priestly formation and lay education and training.

 

•           And to explore possibilities for co-operation in the development and

           presentation of church music, art, drama and appropriate public lectures and

           events

 

In all that we do this year, we seek God’s glory, conscious that the Holy Spirit is moving, inspiring and guiding us. We seek your prayers, as together we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Be assured of our prayers for you through this Lenten journey.

 

 

 

Archbishop Phillip Aspinall                          Archbishop John Bathersby

ANGLICAN                                                               ROMAN CATHOLIC

ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE                             ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE

 

 

 

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Paul's Reflections Baptism of Our Lord - B

11th January, 2009      Baptism of Our Lord - A, B or C

 

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WATER: This is the main symbol of baptism. Water represents washing clean and re-birth and renewal. Water is a perfect symbol, it contains so many meanings: It is an absolutely essential element for life……    

 

It contains so many meanings within itself………  Health and life, danger and threat (as we have seen by recent news….  the force and danger of flood waters…. the power and unexpected force of the frozen glaciers of New Zealand…. where two people recently met with terrible tragedy…..)….. water represents both enormous power and also soothing, renewing, gentleness, …..a washing and restoring.

 

Water and baptism….. is a wonderful way of showing that by following Jesus we want to ‘immerse” or “plunge” ourselves into Jesus’ way of life. Baptism is a word that literally means “Plunge” and we believe that Baptism is not just a sign of following Jesus, Baptism connects us to Jesus and makes us one with his life and with the life of all other believers in Jesus.

 

In baptism, we become a beloved and cherished child of God…….   children of the same Father in heaven… who is so generous, so lavish in love and praise.,… that the gospel today tells us, that the Father, upon Jesus rising from the waters of John’s baptism….   literally tears the heavens apart and pours down the most wonderful praise and confidence and blessing upon his beloved son…

 

as one commentator says….

We are told that God rends the heavens to lavish praise on his son— a son who, up to that point, had yet to accomplish much of anything.  It must have been indescribably affirming and motivating for Jesus as he was about to begin his most challenging and self-emptying ministry. Although Jesus is God made human, he was also fully human…. and in need of encouragement and affirmation and strength from his beloved father… who was in heaven… and who happened to be the father of all things…..   Jesus was now absolutely assured and commissioned in the loved and confidence of his heavenly father….that God the father was completely pleased with him. (Patrice J. Tuohy)

 

It is a timely reminder, that it is so important, so human and so affirming to praise one another…….  we live in a culture where it seems easier to voice criticisms…. and it seems that for some, if they are not unhappy with anything it is not so much praise that follows…. but silence…….  so we live in a world where there is either criticism or begrudging silence…….  or else… then we get the other extreme where people compliment others with empty and insincere words…….. that don’t connect with the reality of what is happenind… and so do very little good…..       others feel that they shouldn’t praise others for fear that it might give the other a ‘big head’ …….  or that the praise may be taken as mere flattery……….  having said that….. there is no substitute for sincere, heartful and constructive affirmation, encouragement and praise…… which is a form of gratefulness in words…. naming that which we are grateful for,…..,,, 

 

Praise is so important……..  Good managers know this as do teachers, coaches, counsellors, volunteer coordinators, and fundraisers—anyone who is trying to get someone to take the next step, stretch themselves, and constantly strive to reach a higher level of commitment or performance.

 

For people who live without affirmation and who live with constant criticism…. they get the crippling message that everything they do is not good enough….. nothing they do will really satisfy or meet with approval……   for a person who gets false praise…. they either feel that the words are meaningless….. or else rely on compliments that don’t really give them a good indicator of who they are and what they are doing and how it is affecting others for the better……..    and then there are those who get good, positive feedback and affirmation…..   even when setbacks and the occasional mistake or failure come their way, they are not defeated, because they believe in their value and the strength of their own worth…..  and persevere through the struggles and beyond….

 

I just want to mention the curious second reading from the first letter of St John. He mentions the rather obscure reference to Jesus being shown to be the Messiah not only by the water, but also by the blood. This is a little strange… but what it seems to mean is….  St John was writing this letter at the time when a heresy was taking hold in the church communities… some were saying that Jesus was really just an ordinary human and at his baptism he was adopted by the Father and the spirit fell upon him… he lived as God’s son and then on the cross… the divine spirit left and the mere human remained…. so God did not really suffer or die…. it was just the human who carried the divine spirit in him for a time….  but no… this is a heresy.. and is not the fullness of our Christian faith… St John reminds us that Jesus suffered and died… and shed real blood upon the cross… so that the true sign that Jesus was the real messiah and the beloved son of God…. Jesus was both truly God and truly human was that he gave his last drop of blood for us… and truly suffered and even gave his life for us…  so not only his baptism in the waters of the river Jordan… shows us his identity… but also his suffering and death….   Baptism and the cross are essential and un-divided elements of the perfect messiah… the two cannot be separated….. 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY. Reflection on Baptism from Parish website, (http://www.parishes.bne.catholic.net.au/maryborough/baptism.htm).

·          2009 – A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY Alice Camille

·          THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF MARK. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.

·          PATRICE J. TUOHY, PrepareTheWord.com, 2008, TrueQuest Communications, LLC.

 

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This was sent to you by Fr Paul Kelly from St Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough, QLD. My apologies if you did not want to recieve this, please contact me and I will delete the email if you do not want to continue receiving news. Back copies of previous logs can be found by visiting the parish website. www.marycatholic.com

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Paul's Reflections 4th January, 2009 Epiphany - B

4th January, 2009      Epiphany - B

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

 

At the turn of the new Millenium…..    Just minutes before midnight on new year's eve, DECEMBER 31^ST 1999, in london's Millennium dome,  2 young people stepped forward and began to sing a beautiful new hymn written by John Tavener, called " A New Beginning "…..

 

They sang…..

Let there be peace among all people, O Lord..

Let there be forgiveness for past wrongs..

And from this time on, a new beginning, O Lord….  "

 

What a wonderful way to see out the old millennium out, and the new one in…….   what a wonderful way to see the new year out…., and pray the new year in….. (That year and EVERY year)… including now…. in fact, now more than ever……..  

 

This is our prayer too…..

 

Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany (4/01/2008)

It is  fitting to think of this feast of the Epiphany … the revelation of Jesus as ruler of all the earth and all nations.

 

We, more than ever, can acknowledge that we belong to a global community.. and that the needs and concerns of our sisters and brothers in all places, especially those poor and struggling nations, those areas crushed under violence, war, and/ or poverty and injustice…….are our concerns too… Today we celebrate that Jesus came for all people; to form us into one family in God.

 

That’s the other wonderful thing about the feast of the Epiphany… its really the celebration of all the gentile nations….   us included… that we too…. although not ones of the chosen people of Israel, to whom God’s covenant was originally sealed…..  but now… that covenant and that invitation is for all people of all nations and cultures… for all times….. we are all invited to be part of one big family of God…….    so in a real sense … this feast is the celebration and thanksgiving for the gift of all converts…..    all people who have accepted the invitation to be part of God’s family from far and wide….

 

we think with grateful hearts of the many converts to our own faith and our own church community…..   so many who have converted later in life to the catholic faith who have been an enormous and priceless gift to our communities……  we give thanks for them and their contribution.. the gift of themselves and their experiences and involvement…….   

 

In the gospel today, the wise men are attracted to Bethlehem by a royal  star…. Matthew's gospel then says…. "When the wise men saw that the star had stopped over the place where the child was, they were overwhelmed with joy.

 

That line strikes me….

On coming upon the place were the "King of all time lay",.,,  they were overtaken by joy and delight… 

 

Jesus is the source of true and lasting joy…. He brings us the message of lasting peace….

 

It made me stop and ask myself…. When was the last time I was overwhelmed with joy?……. 

 

Or as the writer c.s. Lewis called it… "Surprised by Joy.' 

 

… It's important to have a remembering heart…  for all the big and small blessings that come with each day….

 

…..    There are some wonderful psalms in the bible that really capture this idea……  and I like them so much….   like…….   the line   “in the morning Lord, let me know your love……..    or …….like psalm 30 says…. 

"at night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn." That wonderful feeling of waking up and a new day (a new year) has dawned.. and feeling positive, hopeful, peaceful! Perhaps even waking every so often with a momentary sense of God's all-loving (wordless)…….presence and care -- that surrounds us always.

 

I have mentioned this before, but I do feel this is so important……………I wonder if we might consider getting a prayer journal… just a simple blank pad of paper or a booklet… where we can write down our joys and prayers… to remind us of all the daily moments of grace that we might otherwise forget… to sustain us on our journey, and encourage us in the dry times…

 

let’s Forget about the gifts brought by the wise men… lets keep our own gift register…. A prayer journal remembering the many gifts God brings us!

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

<![if !supportLists]>·          <![endif]>FR. PAUL W. KELLY

<![if !supportLists]>·          <![endif]>Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Abbot’s homily.

 

 

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please reply emails to

holyjoe@ozemail.com.au

This was sent to you by Fr Paul Kelly from St Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough, QLD. My apologies if you did not want to recieve this, please contact me and I will delete the email if you do not want to continue receiving news. Back copies of previous logs can be found by visiting the parish website. www.marycatholic.com

and also please visit my photo pages by clicking this link:

www.mysteriousthree.com

or the direct link by pasting the following into your web browser

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/554239563oXJIdn

(some of the recent photos appear at the start of the page of photos, other new ones may be right at the last page)
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