Paul's Reflections Twenty - sixth Sunday of the Year - C. / 26th September, 2010

26th September, 2010    Twenty - sixth Sunday of the Year - C

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The Parable in this weekend’s Gospel is often called The Story of Lazarus and “Divés”.

 

These are supposedly the names of the poor man, who certainly is Lazarus, and the rich man, who I think is deliberately not given a name. .

 

The word “Dives” is a Latin word that is a description, not a name, and it translates as “Rich”.

 

In many Biblical stories the importance of the person is often shown by the fact that they are given a “name”.

 

It is very annoying, then that people try give a name to the rich man when it is clearly not the intention. The important person in this story is Lazarus. The whole point of the story is to turn on its head the usual expectation of status and importance. Even in torment, the rich man still doesn’t “get it.”

He asks God to send Lazarus over to Hades to serve him. However, his request is rightly denied. Lazarus is poor no longer!

 

As St. Basil said in one of his homilies on this parable, “Tell us the reason why you have received your possessions. Is it so that God may be unjust, God who unequally distributes those goods necessary to life? Why are you rich and another poor? To the hungry belongs the bread that you keep; to the naked, the cloak you keep tucked away… You commit as many injustices as there are people to whom you could give.”

 

One of the great failings of the rich man in this parable is that he is ignorant and apathetic to the needs of people around him… people who turn out to be his brother, his sister… and co-heirs to the Kingdom he will never actually inherit….  

 

Consequently, this parable is inviting us to change our ways of seeing things. The gospel tells us in countless ways that the last will be first. They should also be first in our commitment,//  in our building up the church,// and in our establishing a new society — a society and church based on gospel values….. and made up of many people like Lazarus, who are despised now by those who, according to the parable, do not deserve to have a name.

 

The parable leaves no room for doubt. To the unnamed rich man's attempt to allege the ignorance of his peers as the reason for the indifference to the plight of poor Lazarus, "Father Abraham" categorically answers that they have the word of God to listen to. The words and teachings of the Scriptures are more than enough to guide us in how we should live…….   (to who are open to its challenge). In spite of the clarity of the gospel message, today we admit that we too can also look for subterfuges or ask for miracles in order to avoid the gospel demands that are really plain enough unadorned.

 

Those who ignore the poor are rejected by the Lord. Saint Paul gives us the reason for such a behaviour: "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Greed leads us to place our trust in money, when this trust and all true power comes only from God. This is why Paul calls it idolatry. And the poor are victims of this distorted worship.  This conduct — and its consequences — is separated by a great chasm which is unable to be crossed to the Kingdom…..

 

There is a true story told of a lady

Who received an appeal from a reputable foreign mission, asking for an aid donation. She wrote a little cheque and felt good about it. Then she went to the local shopping centre promptly spent twice as much on nonsense. In the midst of all this, something about this struck her deeply,  and she was overcome with a sense of shame. She returned home and wrote five more cheques,  to catch a few more lazaruses, at the door….or beyond….

 

 

 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

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

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

 

 

Paul's Reflections Twenty - fifth Sunday of the Year - C. 19th September, 2010

19th September, 2010      Twenty - fifth Sunday of the Year - C

 

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When I hear the readings from this weekend’s Mass, I think of a wonderful quote from the former head of the Jesuit Order, Pedro Arrupe… who writes..

 

“Nothing is more practical than finding God.

That is,//…. than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way.//

What you are in love with,…….. what seizes your imagination..// will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,

what you will do with your evenings,

how you spend your weekends,

what you read,

who you know,

what breaks your heart,

and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love,

stay in love,

and it will decide everything.”

 

 

Jesus is inviting us to fall in love with God and his Kingdom.. and the values of the Kingdom and the people God loves and defends……

 

That, I believe, is actually the heart of the mysterious gospel passage today…

 

And the first reading has wonderful practical implications.  There is enormous criticism being levelled at anyone who goes through the motions of being a faithful follower of God, who performs the rituals and actions prescribed by the law, but miss the whole point and spirit of the law….    Ripping off the poor…  trampling on the downtrodden…  ignoring the plight of the widow and the orphan….  This is the true heart of the gospel of Jesus….  To have concern for all people, expecially those most in need… on the margins….

 

Jesus, particularly in the focus of Luke’s Gospel… is being addressed to the rich and influential people who want to be followers of Jesus…..    Jesus is addressing the way things are done in business and society so that people can makes friends and influence people….   They have great big dinner parties… they do eachother favours…  give favourable discounts to those they wish to have in their moral debt….    This gives them more prestige, power and influence….

 

Jesus points out that the poor. The needy and the sinner are very dear to God’s heart. God wants them to be invluded and brought back out of the cold….  But of course, these people have no way of influencing others… so they are left out of society with no way back in….  they can’t others to dinner, because they haven’t got much, and they may be refused by the rich who see nothing to be gained financially or socially from accepting such an unlikely invitation…  the sinner has no way of ever shaking off their past… and the stranger does not fit anywhere….

 

So, Jesus is offering a new vision, that builds on earthly thinking, but then turns it on its head….

 

Jesus is saying to his listeners….   IF you want to get in the good books of the one who really counts… God in hEaven…and God’s Kingdom values… which are the only true and lasting treasures…  then you need to curry favour with those who are dear to the heart of the master…  so…. Help the poor… forgive the sinner….  Help the widow and orphan and stranger…  practice justice…   include those who have nothing to give back….  BECAUSE…  God has a special concern for them….  These people will be the first to enter the Kingdom of heaven… and if you have helped those dear to God… THEY MIGHT let you in to the banquet feast…

 

So.. isn’t it ironic….  The people whose values go no further than this life and its material advantages… understand better about investing in what will reap true rewards… then why do not the disciples of Christ.. invest their time, energy and resources into what is much more valuable and lasting than mere position, prestige and wealth and influence in this life alone.. which is passing…

 

“The real challenge today is to look at my own personal spiritual life.  I need to be honest with myself.  Do I really seek God and accept the difficulties that it brings into my life?  Or do I look for ways to appear good to others without really being (holistically) good?  The more serious I become about seeking God, the more seriously I can live out what God is asking of me.

 

……Following Jesus Christ is ultimate so very simple:  live as He lived with all the energies of our life.  One challenge for most of us is that we are not consistent in our living the Christian life.  Often we live as Christians as long as it is comfortable for us.  When the going gets rough, then too often we dodge out of doing what is right and just and do that which will get us out of the situation, rather than that which is right and just.”

 

Jesus is inviting us to fall in love with the Kingdom and all its lasting values… and love with a passion the people whom God has concern for…..  and this will be what we put all our time, energy and ingenuity into in our daily lives…

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        

·       FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·       MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT’S HOMILY. (italicised quote near the end)

 

Paul's Reflections 12th September, 2010. 24th Sunday ordinary time. Year c.

12th September, 2010. 24th Sunday ordinary time. Year c.
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This weekend, there are three parables given by Jesus, two of which we have heard this weekend. The third is the very familiar Prodigal Son parable…. That parable was featured last Wednesday night (here) in St Mary's Church as our young candidates made their First Reconciliation accompanied by their families who have helped prepare them for their special day… and with our sacramental team …
I told the children that even though Reconciliation is about telling Jesus our Sins and saying sorry… it is still very much a celebration…. As shown by these gospel parables this weekend…. Of course God is sad when we do the wrong thing…. But the message of the gospels today is that God loves us like a loving parent… with the unconditional love that a parent gives their child……. God loves us…. God will always love us infinitely…. More than we can imagine… we are God's children…. We will ALWAYS be God's children… and whenever we turn back and turn to God in times of failure… GOD IS OVERJOYED… AND CELEBRATES… because God loves us so very much……

That theme goes right through Jesus' ministry, preaching and teaching… and is summed up in the prayer he taught his disciples… the Lord's prayer…. We can see his message through the lens of the unconditional love and relationship between parent and their child….. that is our relationship between ourselves and God…..

When I think of that gospel parable about the woman searching for the lost drachma… I think of something from my childhood….. when I was young… I was always inventing things…. always experimenting with things…. and exploring… I loved electronic things… and still do…. It was so profound that if ever there was a blackout of electricity…… my family would call out "where's Paul?????!!!!"…….. wondering if the power failure could somehow be my doing…… fortunately I always had a fairly good sense of the danger of electricity.. which is just as well… because it is not a toy for young people to play with….. That recent power blackout we had in town on Thursday made me smile…. I still felt the urge to say… "it wasn't me … it wasn't me…."….

Anyways.. as a child I was always inventing systems and processes too….. for example.. i developed a system for finding lost object in the house… and called it the "pk system"… which confounded my brothers., because it sounded mysterious… but really all it was, was a sophisticated 'emu line system' where I went from room to room from one corner to the other until I had found what I was looking for…. If it WAS in the house, my system would find it!!!... It didn't even matter if the thing I was looking for was very valuable… it mattered more that the system was proved to be flawless…. I was forever pretending to patent things… and putting "tm" or ® beside the names of things I invented… I must have driven my family mad.. but it was fun…

It reminds me of the parable today…. The lady searches for one lost coin and will not give up until it is found… it MUST be found… because it is valuable… and she won't give up…. In each of Jesus' parables the thing or the person looked for is in some way (some would think) dispensible… the listeners might think.. WHY go after one lost, stubborn and wilful sheep at the expense of 99?/ why turn your house upside down for one coin?? Why keep looking out for the return of a wastrel son?.... Why///// Because they are Valuable… infinitely valuable… and the owner… God.. will NEVER give up… ever… he searches like a madman and keeps searching until he finds…. Because it is about true love… and God's love for us is the key to understanding everything that happens……

We are unimaginably precious and lovable to God. God loves us. We are valuable, irreplaceable and unique. It does not matter that there are many, many humans in the world. God does not want to lose even one of the humans that God has created. It does not matter that we may have lost our way and gotten lost by our own fault and bad choices. God searches and God finds.

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REFERENCES:
FR. PAUL W. KELLY

Paul's Reflections 5th September, 2010 Twenty - third Sunday of the Year - C

5th September 2010      Twenty - third Sunday of the Year - C

The point of Jesus’ message today is to WIDEN our vision of FAMILY… not to reject it, or abandon it…..

I think there is one thing we need to take literally about Jesus’ teaching and one thing we should only take metaphorically….    We should not take literally Jesus’ teaching that we should ‘hate our families and our lives”….  (quite the opposite..  we must love and cherish and keep our commitments to our parents and family………)…. But we should take literally the teaching that Jesus widens our family to include but also go wider than our blood relations……   For, we are truly brothers and sisters with all who follow Jesus and act on his word……..   (to be taken absolutely seriously)..

At first glance, the readings for this weekend seem a terrible mismatch for the (coinciding) secular celebration of Father’s Day. The Gospel today even says the rather jarring words:  “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”  What in the world does this mean? 

Why would Jesus counsel his followers to "hate" their families? In this passage Jesus uses an exaggeration that is typical of the language and way of speaking of his time, (the Jewish culture two thousand years ago….   That is, a strong point is made by extreme exaggeration. Jesus is trying to make a point about discipleship. Hate in  the context of this bible passage is better  described as put in second priority….    It really means to give less preference to. The examples Jesus uses in this reading have to do with calculating the cost of discipleship and spelling out what that cost will be. And the key to following Christ is renunciation of all that comes between the disciple and a total commitment to the Lord: possessions, family, even one's life. Not that these things have no value, but their worth must be seen in the perspective of what's ultimately important – discipleship of Christ…..

Also, we DO know that Jesus had a deep respect and love for his family, both his earthly family and his Heavenly Father.  So, faithfulness to Christ and love and respect for our family ought not be any kind of contradiction. If there is a choice being made between following God and remaining a part of our loving family, then something must have gone horribly awry with our families.  What Jesus is asking here is that “You've got to be in this ‘discipleship thing’ 100 percent!  Half measures will never do. That is today's gospel response to the idea of the ‘good-enough Christian’: one who basically colours inside the moral lines and meets the minimum requirements of church membership. Good-enough isn't good enough. Being the Body of Christ makes us sharers in the life of Jesus!

And Jesus was never known to do things halfway…. The “satisfied Christian” is courting with disaster.

There may very well be a bit of “hating” going on, though, but not by followers of Jesus…  Rather.. some people may hate and persecute disciples of Jesus because they are including others in the family fold than they think should be there…  // unintended conflict and costs will be incurred in following Jesus because people are included in Jesus’ plan that others think should be left out……..

The plain truth is: Our goal is not merely to avoid being a bad person…… Being a disciple of Jesus is the goal, and that's a lot harder. ..Discipleship is an expensive proposition. It costs everything you have and everything you are. . (Jesus expects us to give all we have in energy and time). Why is the price so high? Because the stakes are just as high.

Jesus isn't asking us to throw our stuff away. He's begging us not to throw our lives away. (Rather, he is asking us to put them our lives, our energy and our resources into the service of his plan for building up the Kingdom of God and its different and transforming values).

The second reading adds a new perspective to all this….  St Paul… a true and inspiring disciple of Christ…   speaks about a fellow Christian.. a runaway slave … who has now become like a son to him because he is a fellow disciple in Christ…..    Paul writes to another disciple and begs him to accept his runaway slave but not as a slave anymore but as a brother…..   this is consistent with Jesus’ gospel…..   there is a considerable change to our lives and our relationships when we become a true disciple of Christ….  Things change quite dramatically…  old values and old ways of doing things.. END……   and old advantages and arrangements are changed forever…   the owner of that slave has paid a big price…  he has lost his slave.. who is now a free person…  because in Christ there is no distinction between slave and free.. we are all free… 

Jesus knows that following him will lead to tensions and pain….   Not because he wants us to reject family but because his message INCLUDES more people into the family than others (under the old system) can cope with….  IN jesus kingdom…  water is thicker than blood…..   (the water of baptism that is….  Is more important in our relationships than the important relationship of blood relations….  And this turns the whole system on its head….. 

So, it is worth spending some time in reflection …….. asking ourselves…..   “what am I building in my life…”…..  what am I willing to spend?” and “What am I willing to lose?”

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REFERENCES:

FR. PAUL W. KELLY

(Italicised Quotes from Alice Camille and Fr Dominic Grassi).

SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.

Paul's Reflections SUNDAY 22ND OF ORDINARY TIME - YEAR C. Paul Kelly

SUNDAY 22^ND OF ORDINARY TIME -  YEAR C.  Paul Kelly

 

“What’s in it for me?” “What can I get out of this?”   “What can this person do for me?”  All these kinds of questions are still quite commonly asked by people in this day and age… as they were in Jesus’ time. And I am sure these kinds of minsets disappoint God just as much today as they did back then…………Because this kind of thinking is just so foreign to God’s ways……………

 

Today’s gospel is about Jesus teaching us about the virtue of humility….  But….

“The challenge today is not about watching others practice humility but whether we ourselves are willing always to humble ourselves. Humility does not mean acting humbly but actually being humble and drawing no attention to ourselves. This is why truly humble people are loved so much. They make life easier for all of everyone else around them, no matter how ‘great’ they are considered to be by others……, they take up the burdens and responsibilities of community without drawing attention to themselves and they serve others with joy.^[1]

 

For me, humility is really about being honest about how things really are between us and God. We are truly humble when we live the truth of the fact that all good comes from God…. And that if we do any good in this world, it is by God’s grace and guidance…  not of any merit of our own….   If we help the poor…  include the marginalized….   Serve without counting the cost, we are not actually doing something praiseworthy..  rather.. we are just living the way God acts all the time…  by God’s very nature… not out of duty… but out of love…

 

The message of today’s gospel can possibly be best summed up by a saying the Jewish rabbis would have known well..  even if they did not practice it in this gospel…..   it’s a saying that goes like this…  “ the best kind of giving is when the giver does not know to whom they were giving, and the receiver does know know from whom they are receiving.”^[2]  Because, then its pure gift…  giving for the sake of giving itself.. with no self interest….

 

Another way of putting it was the words of a witty cynic.. when they said… “hospitality is a lively sense of the favours to come.”   Jesus wants to totally break this mindset….   Hospitality and engagement with others is not for what it can gain.. but for including those who cannot presently participate by the rules and expectations of a calculating culture….

 

Also, in this gospel today… 

“What Jesus is teaching are not fine points of etiquette or the best way to show table manners and the like. Rather, Jesus is promoting an interior attitude that really demonstrates where we stand, that is, do we consider our self the centre of the universe, or are we willing to be the servant of others?

The way of Christ is the latter, for the self-centred will end up lost, but those who serve others and open their hearts to all will find fulfilment. Such persons, and we are invited to be among them, will gain everything needed for a life on fire for God and the things of God. As Jesus acted in his lifetime, so should the followers of Christ. There is an Amish teaching that says (in instructing their young people): "Joy" stands for …..Jesus first, Others in between, and Yourself last.”^[3]

 

I have been thinking of writing a reflection, one day, called ‘great Christian clangers’….  That is… times when, in church experience, people or groups did actions that were so totally against the very point of calling ourselves Christian disciples…//    because, sometimes we get it very wrong…. //…and sadly we can get it wrong a lot more often than we are willing to admit…..//…   So, let us pray.. in our daily prayers,///  that God will always give us a wonderful sense of proportion..  that we will always gain a sense of what really IS the central point of Jesus message….  Because, in this gospel, the so called religious leaders of Jesus time had really gone off the point….  They sat there glaring at Jesus and trying to find fault with him when all they were really doing was hobnobbing with people who could benefit them.,.. and ignoring those most in need….and all Jesus was doing was acting out of love and curing those in need and welcoming those God loves whom others felt were of no value to them.,……/…  . sometimes ones breath is taken away about how people who call themselves faithful followers of God can get it so wrong with their actions and attitudes….   Let us pray to Jesus that we are always given a wonderful sense of proportion, generosity and  self-giving service….and of course, honest humility…

 

 

 

 

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^[1] Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abbot’s homily (2010)

^[2] Daily Study Bible. Luke. By William Barclay (1954)

^[3] Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Fr. Christian Leisy, OSB  (2010)

Paul's Reflections 22nd August, 2010 Twenty - first Sunday of the Year - C

22nd August, 2010 Twenty - first Sunday of the Year - C

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I had my own ironic version of todays parable played out for me … and I can tell you, I found it very confusing and upsetting. …..

It makes me think of the parable from today’s gospel……. I wonder what it would be like for me to be knocking on heavens doors and saying “let me in,.. look I have the badge and the membership… only to get the hear God say...... ‘who are you?” ...I don’t know you? I don’t know where you come from?”

that would be devestating .....… terrible….

Who we are goes with how we act.. how we live…. And how we respond to God’s invitation to be disciples….. we gain entry into the kingdom not by our badge of membership alone… but by being recognisable as a disciple of Christ by our love and faithfulness to God’s message….. by being true friends of Jesus … in act as well as name…. knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus….. in our lives and choices…. / The people listening to Jesus’ parable (his own people, the people of Israel), would be very concerned by his message and they would say what is on

the lips of the people in the parable. The people are really saying words to the effect of this: “But, we ate with you, we heard your teaching! We are your fellow People of Israel. We are the chosen people who have Abraham as our Father and the Prophets as our inheritance. We are the saved people, and the privileged people of God’s promise.” The shocking reply would be too awful to contemplate: “Sorry, I don’t know where you come from!” What does he mean ‘I don’t know where you come from?” They come from his own people, but this is not enough. People from other nations and cultures, who are not part of the chosen people, as welcomed into God’s family and God’s house ahead of those who have gotten cosy and self-satisfied in the presumption that their place in God’s house is assured. Jesus is warning all who follow him that a place in God’s house is offered to all who actually respond to his values and teachings and to his invitation, irrespective of their background and culture. It is a sobering reminder to us all that we need to be constantly open to God’s surprising wisdom and teachings. We must never fall for the trap of thinking that we have gotten the message and that we having nothing more or new to learn about God’s ways.

Jesus, throughout the Gospels, constantly has to teach his disciples that they have an enormous amount to learn, (a lifetime and beyond to learn), about God’s ways and God’s wisdom. Discipleship in Christ demands of us constant vigilance, an openness of heart and mind and a willingness to be transformed and changed by God’s wisdom. Jesus also seems to be inviting us to be welcoming and open to an ever-increasing group of people throughout the community and beyond, to whom God is also extending a warm welcome.

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REFERENCES:

· FR. PAUL W. KELLY

Paul's Reflections THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION (BODY AND SOUL INTO HEAVEN) OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARYSUNDAY THE 15TH AUGUST, 2010.

THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION (BODY AND SOUL INTO HEAVEN) OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARYSUNDAY THE 15^TH AUGUST, 2010.

The blessed Virgin Mary is truly the most inspiring of all the saints……   and it is so understandable that so many churches and schools across the world have chosen as their patron saint’s name, the name of Mary……. Mary is the first and most perfect disciple of Christ……   Mary is such a perfect example of faith, trust and reflection…..    all through her life, Mary trusted and acted in the belief that her God knows what he is doing in our lives…..   we are told more than once that Mary “treasured” of “pondered”  all these things in her heart….   Reflecting upon the meaning of what was happening in her life…  trusting in God’s care and guidance….  Even when everything was going wrong…

 

In the newsletter this weekend, there is a striking and unusual quote from the great Theological writer Karl Rahner, where he writes……

"Whatever was transitory in Mary's life fell into the power of death, but only so that all that was eternal in her could shine in the full light, the eternal light made up of all the little flames of each instant of her shining existence."

—Karl Rahner, S.J. (1904-1984)

That is rather beautiful….   Especially the part about the little flames of each instant of Mary’s shining existence…..  Mary received the light of Christ…  Mary bore the light of Christ to the world… and in so many ways, big and small, Mary was a light of encouragement, grace, love and faith, to all she met… (in our own way, we receive the light of Christ by faith and baptism… we carry it and .. through our actions.. we show that light in our lives….

There is a beautiful prayer..  called the Litany of the blessed Virgin mary…   it lists some of the wonderful titles  such as (for example),..

Mother of God,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Ark of the covenant,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
….assumed into Heaven,
Queen of the most holy rosary,
Queen of Peace.

 

These and many more titles capture the qualities that make Mary so admirable…. And they all refer to her cooperation and reception of God’s gracious action…..   putting her life at the service of God’s plan for the world………….

The Assumption is a beautiful echo of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven….   Jesus Ascended into Heaven, to return to his rightful place at the right hand of the Father….   He returned from where he had come…..    Mary, because of her absolute faithfulness, was given the blessing of being the first person to benefit fully from the promise made by Jesus Ascension…  that on the last day, we will be in Heaven with God, body and soul…..  Mary received this promise immediately at the end of her life…..   what happened to Mary, we hope will be given to us at the resurrection on the last day…… 

The assumption of Mary into Heaven…….   Mary is an ideal example of someone who cooperated with God’s plans… and as a result allowed God to do great things thorough her life and actions….//  .   and Look at the wonders the Holy Spirit of God can achieve when we are open to God’s plan in our lives….

 

Look at the incredible grace, love and fruit that is produced from saying “YES” to what God wants to achieve through us in the world…..

 

Mary stands as an incredible inspiration of human faithfulness, obedience, respect and humility….   Mary’s yes, allowed her to become a willing part of God’s plan in the world…..  

 

Let us never say,   “what can I contribute….   what good is what I have to give, compared with the enormity of the needs, the challenges… and the demands of this world….”  rather…. like Mary, may we be further inspired to say… yes Lord…..    you are great and good…… you can achieve all things (and a significant part of what God achieves, is also “in and through” the people God has invited to cooperate in God’s work……….   

 Mary did not merely trust in God by quietly sitting and waiting…  Mary was active and compassionate…..   she rushed off to help her cousin Elizabeth… she  saw a problem at the Wedding in Cana and took action to help by asking her son to assist…..   Mary was present at different parts of Jesus preaching…  and was there for him at the foot of the cross…. Mary was there praying with the Apostles in their time of doubt……..  

Mary is like…. (we are all like)    a writing instrument in the hand of our most artistic God……    if we allow ourselves to be the channel through which God’s good news, love, justice and forgiveness  is experienced…

 

“Wouldn’t it be great to be a clear mirror of the graciousness, peace and love of Christ….   whenever we do act or speak in ways that allows Jesus’ message to flow through us, it is an enormous source of blessing and good…..      Sadly sometimes, because we experience limitations, weakness and fragility…. we can block that graciousness and our actions and values can block the healing, the care and the compassion that God is trying to create in and through us…..   Let us pray that Jesus will show us how to allow ourselves to be more and more the light of Christ to each other   and to all….

 

May Mary, who shows us an openness and generosity to God….. and pre-figures the destiny of all who hope in Jesus’ promises, continue to inspire us to make a difference….  and say “yes” to God’s values in all we do, in the church, in the community, and in our homes and social situations….. 

 

 

Paul's Reflections 8th August, 2010 ST PAULS AND ST MARY'S ECUMENICAL EVENT. AT ST MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. 8AM.

8th August, 2010     ST PAULS AND ST MARY’S ECUMENICAL EVENT. AT ST MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH. 8AM.

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Cooperation and goodwill between the churches in this town goes right back to the very opening of this church in Feb 1872.  The opening Mass was celebrated here on that day, by Fr. Paul Tissot, assisted by the Fathers..J and M. Horan, Fr McGuiness and Fr Julian Edmund Tennyson Woods…..  the mentor of Blessed Mary MacKillop …..(soon to be Saint Mary MacKillop, whose feast day is today…..and who surely visited her order of nuns staffed the parish school)

 

Records of the time show that the “choral portion of the service was taken from Mozart’s Twelfth mass and was very efficiently rendered by the choir, who were ably assisted by the kind services of several members of other denominations.  The sermon was preached by J.E.T.Woods………   I thought to myself….. mmmm…  J.E.T. Woods…..  could that be????   And yes…. It was…..   the Very Rev. Julian Edmund Tennyson Woods (Mentor to Blessed Mary MacKillop) whose sermon was described as “a most eloquent and impressive discourse”

 

One Hundred and thirty-eight years later, we gather together to continue to celebrate what we have in common. We are one people, all disciples of Christ, sharing prayer and praise of the One God, and praying for eachother’s communities. It is wonderful, and its God’s grace at work in our communities and in the hearts and goodwill of all…

 

It is so wonderful to be here today. Thank you so much to Fr Jim and the St pauls’ community for being with us today and celebrating our common discipleship in Christ…  and thank-you to Fr Jim for his friendship and enthusiasm always…

 

The readings for our ecumenical celebration today are extraordinary and beautiful…..   They speak of God’s deep and abiding faithfulness to us…. And of God’s wisdom and God’s ways that are not like our human ways of thinking………  We humans do find it so difficult to comprehend  the depth and extent of God’s love for his people…… in fact we can only marvel at the mystery of it……….   And we humans do find it difficult to understand the many ways in which God does not think as humans do……….   

 

So, we humans….  Struggle with God… we wrestle with God…..  until we finally come to the point where we realise that God knows what God is doing……   God loves us…. Blesses us and has a big –picture plan for us…. If only we would cooperate and not resist… if only we can allow God’s grace to transform us…  and not let our narrow vision.. our pride and our desire to do it our way…  get in the way of what God is doing…..  because God is making something beautiful…..  in thw world and in our lives……   its new… its different…..  its divine….. 

 

I have always been fascinated by this passage, our first reading today… of Jacob wrestling with God …. Its amazing…  and beautiful…….    And it reminds me of a true story  that I would like to share with you……   (my apologies if I have told this before, but it is, I think, a rather interesting example of our wisdom wrestling with God’s wisdom….)

 

One of our lecturer’s in my sabbatical a few years ago tells a story of a visit he made to a village while he was in the missions. The local theatre people did a play enacting the "lost son" but in their version of the story they unwittingly neutralised the message of Jesus and replaced it with a frightening message of worldly wisdom we can see all too often ://… in their version, when the lost son is walking home, the father sees him and yet does not move. Then the servants  come out of their huts with sticks in their hands, run up to the son and start 'beating him with the sticks' until the father eventually walks up and say 'okay he has had enough!'  when our missionary priest  asked why the troupe had changed Jesus' parable, they said "you cannot let this story run as it was. The rascal must not be able to get off free. If God doesn't punish him, then we will"  !!!!

 

“IF GOD….  Doesn’t punish him,….    Then WE …. WILL!!!!’….. 

 

My goodness……. That is very telling…   about human nature… and God’s absolutely unconditional love for us, his beloved people….

 

It so important to let the parable of Jesus speak to us, challenge us, transform us with God’s unworldly wisdom.

 

This example, and the example of Jacob..  wrestling all night with a mysterious person, whom he KNOWs is God. Jacob won’t let go of God….   He can’t win, in one sense.. if he continues to hold on to God when the sun comes up, he will see God’s face and die… and so God is trying to save him…  but God also allows him to wrestle with him.. God gets right in there with Jacob.. not just standing t a distance.. and allows Jacob to engage with him very deeply….  Jacob is stubborn and filled with zeal.. so in the end God can’t get Jacob to release his grip and so blesses him… and names him… Israel.. meaning, in this context “Strove with God.”  I love this image…  Jacob comes out of it limping, but renewed and ready to face anything in life, because in a sense, God never leaves him.. Jacob will cling to God forever now.. and it is God who will never let him Go…..   but Jacob still wrestled.. wanted things his way.. and we can do that too…

 

St Peter… in the gospel.. so loyal, so passionate.. so faithful to Jesus.. and also very human and weak at times… he denied Jesus but still rushed to see him when he returns……   St Peter had to learn that he must follow God’s ways and not his own thinking.. and he learns that lesson well….  

 

In the context of our ecumenical relations and so many other worthwhile endeavours.. we need to keep looking at what God wants… what God’s wisdom calls us to.. and not merely our own personal vision or pride…  we can do this with God’s help.. and we have seen wonderful progress.. which I know will continue…

 

And the path is via ecumenism… as opposed to non-denominationalism….   Two big words but meaning two different things…   non-denominationalism is where we take what we have in common and overlook (so to speak) what we do not agree upon.. and move forward.. that has its advantages… …  but ecumenism… is acknowledging and celebrating what we have in common… and also acknowledging and exploring what we disagree with…  and moving forward in this….    A respectful, open, dialogue and journeying which seeks not just the lowest common denominator of agreement.. but the highest.. the most full… that journey is difficult and painful, but it’s the journey of wholeness that we are invited to embark upon…      

 

May God, who bends close to be with us and engage with us… who even lets us wrestle with him as we come to see God’s unworldly wisdom and vision….  Stubbornly coming around to God’s ways and not our ways…  May this God of faithfulness.. God of the journey bless us and guide us, now and always…    amen..

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·       Catholicism in Maryborough. History Book, 1980. Edited by Fr Denis Martin.

·       Fr John Fuellenback, SVD. Lectures in Sabbatical in Rome. (my personal notes). See also his book “Throw Fire”.

·       The New Interpreter’s Bible. Volume I. Abingdon Press. On the Genesis chapter.

·       FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections 8th August, 2010 Feast of Mary MacKillop

8th August, 2010      Feast of Mary MacKillop

 

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For most people… its easy to be gracious when everything is going well….  When people speak well of us and treat us nicely….     And everything is going our way….   Flowing according to plan……..But it takes a saint to be gracious in times of intense difficulty……  

 

Jesus is the model for all saints…  and a saint is so named because they allow the person and message (and qualities) of Jesus to shine through their lives and find a home in their actions and attitudes…..

 

Mary MacKillop is a wonderful example of that…  It is an absolute miracle of God’s grace that such a wonderful woman is about to be canonised by the church, so that Mary MacKillop’s life might be an inspiration to Christian discipleship to the universal church.

 

It is utterly amazing that someone who was once excommunicated by the church, (albeit unjustly and wrongly)   could now be beatified and soon to be canonised…   whose praises are sung throughout the world…….   But it is this ‘grace under fire’   this gracious reflecting of God’s love and faithfulness and justice, even in the face of lies and condemnation, that shows the qualities that Jesus speaks of in the beatitudes…

 

Mary MacKillop’s life is also an example of complete trust in God’s providence….   But this is not some kind of helpless waiting  around and doing nothing …  rather Mary MacKillop knew that God’s providence was revealed through the love and care of human beings… So, Mary became famous for her attitude summed up in the saying..”never see a need without doing something to help.”  Mary saw a need for education, shelter and support of those most in need.. namely poor children, destitute men and women.. and so set up schools and shelters for people in need….

 

We can all make a difference  by responding to the needs around us and believing  that we can make a difference….

 

May Our Lord inspire us to be people of care, compassion, graciousness and love (in season and out of season) and people of practical action, making a difference to those most in need..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections Eighteenth Sunday of the Year - C

1st August, 2010      Eighteenth Sunday of the Year - C

 

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It is great to be back after a month of annual leave, and I am grateful to Fr Pat Dowd for his tireless support in  helping here in the parish and in the neighbouring parishes to ensure that the Deanery gets its sacramental needs met and the priests of the deanery can get a break….  It is becoming more and more difficult to get ‘supply priests’ for holidays or to cover for other commitments, so Fr Pat’s support is priceless….

 

The first reading this weekend is rather sobering and poignant…  almost depressing…  the writer is bemoaning the vanity and futility that goes with some of our earthly strivings….  Its not meant to bog us down, rather, but to snap us into reality….   That some of the things we spend most of our time, energy and resources  on will produce limited fruits….  I can’t help thinking of news reports in recent years of financial disasters that affected many Australians … ordinary mum and dad investors who put a lot of their life savings into what looked like fruitful company investments… only to watch all they had worked for… all they were saving up for a nice retirement…  evaporate….    It is absolutely unimaginable……..  the suffering and pain.. and the realisation that all that hard work and striving of their working lives has effectively vanished….  So they could be forgiven for thinking they worked all that time for nothing……    hopefully many might be able to recover from their terrible predicament…..     still….   Their work over those many years did provide for them and their families… the pride and effort they put into their vocation would surely have produced enormous spiritual fruits and satisfaction… for in a vocation we don’t just work for a living….. but all our strivings we put at the service of God’s grace too……….  In any case…  our hearts go out to those whose toil…  (if looked at from a merely financial ‘this world perspective’) appears to have been in vain……….   

 

We reflect on  all the Fruits that do not last beyond this life and which might not be worth the effort….  So, we are invited, as Paul says in the second reading, to keep our eyes on the ‘things of heaven’ – the things that last… and to avoid earthly desires….

 

The gospel today is very challenging…..  

 

All the parables Jesus told are meant to be challenging and jarring…. They are meant to unsettle and turn upside down our expectations.. and this one is particularly unnerving…   it seems quite sensible to plan for one’s future… to ensure against a rainy day… to save up for the future and for a comfortable life….  Many people do it… its considered wise and sensible…  so… why is this man considered not sensible…  but rather ‘foolish’  and he is called a fool not just by ANYONE… but by God himself….  If God calls someone a fool, then surely the worst kind of fool they must be !!!!  

 

Jesus tells this story not to people who are foolish…   neither does he tell this story to people whose lives are about to end…rather.. it’s the opposite… its to people who he hopes are sensible, open and loving people, with resources at their disposal who (God willing) have a long healthy life ahead…. And he is inviting them to trust in  God’s providence and care and use their resources for the good of others… its no good to worry only about our own possible future needs, that may never come. It is good to be sensible to save for a rainy day….. but not at the expense of our commitment to others whose immediate and real needs are prevented while fear and over-protection prevents us from responding… 

 

In the parable, “God intervenes to show the man how foolish and misguided his plans are… This does not mean that in the next life he is condemned to hell… it doesn’t suggest that at all……   rather, the point here is …   the priorities we make in life….. and the meaning of life itself……   Jesus rejects the accumulation of riches for oneself because it is not in accordance with God’s will of selfless and generous loving service towards God and others…. This is so important that our priorities are encouraged to always keep this in mind….

 

That rich man thinks of himself, talks to himself, works for himself, stores food for himself.. its mean, its lonely.. it’s a distorted world view where he is trapped in a very selfish and isolated world of his own making…..   Rather, we realise that we are in union with others around us…  we are actually diminished as people if our purposes and actions do not go beyond self satisfaction….   

 

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He lets his fear and self-focus absorb him completely…

 

 

…… In a way., we already know what a good ending to this parable would be…. The rich man has a good year.. and he is so happy.. he says to himself and those around him…  this is a wonderful year, God has blessed us…   quick.. tell others to come along and take some grain.. to share it.. for I want all of us to celebrate in this wonderful blessing.. so that we might all have some more .. and have a bit for a rainy day to…. Then God will come to him and say.. well done my good  and faithful servant…  you have made yourself rich in my sight.. enter into your inheritance…  we know that God will do this because other parables of the kingdom show that kind of dynamic.. and it fills our hearts with joy….  

 

This is how the man could make himself rich in the sight of god…  may our love and service and care for others flow out in generous care and compassion to eachother…   may we use our gifts for the good of all…  for the greater good of God’s Kingdom… 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

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