Paul's Reflections Fifth Sunday of Easter - C

2nd May, 2010      Fifth Sunday of Easter - C

 

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The gospel this weekend, goes right to the heart of our discipleship…. 

 

Jesus tells us what it really means to BE a follower of his…..  to be someone who calls themselves “Christian”  a follower of the ways and values of Jesus the Christ.

 

And it is all about LOVE.  

 

Whatever else we might think being a Christian, a follower and friend of Jesus,  it is really all about LOVE.  God’s love for us, and our living of God’s love to all we meet. 

 

Above all, (above all our creeds, the ten commandments and every action and liturgy of the church) , love must be the foundation and the end to which all our efforts and actions are directed…. As St Paul so wonderfully put it once…   If I had the faith to move mountains…  and if I were to give up my body to boast…  but did not have love, it would do me no good whatsoever….

 

Others will KNOW we are Christian, not by what we say, but by the love that we show….

 

//  ….“see how they love one another”  become the response….

 

All our prayer, all our good works….   All our worship and teaching….   Every bit of it, is directed to fostering in us an ever deeper love of God, love of neighbour and love for oneself.   If we are not becoming a more loving, more compassionate person with the passage of time, then something is not going right…….

 

Of all the things we could spend our time and energy doing,…… asking God to foster in us the Love with which God sees the world ……   this would be the best thing ever….. 

 

SO much regret can occur when we look back and see the times we may have chosen to act in a way that was achieving an end  that was not primarily about doing the most loving , most gracious, most compassionate response in the circumstances…..   as opposed to the most successful, the most decisive and the most self-serving response….

 

Our church, and our community, is utterly transformed when love is the centre of our actions and priorities…  because God is love….  So, let us love one another as Jesus has loved us… and model that in our actions…

 

 

 

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In the second reading…   it says…..  “Behold, I make all things new.”    The Book of Revelation tells us what happens to us if we have grace and believe:  we are made new.  Not only are we made new, everything around us is also made new because we begin to see with eyes of faith, to hear with ears of faith, to live with a new power which is the grace of God.”  Let us walk in this new life now and always…    and in times of darkness…  let us walk on in trust and hope…..

 

 

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Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit who gives life and effectiveness to everything we do…..    and this Spirit gives us special gifts to help us to achieve what God is wanting to build in our lives and our world.

 

In our sacraments, there is a special sign of the giving and descending of the Spirit upon us and that is the sign of the 'laying of hands.'  where the priest or bishop holds his hands over the person or object to be blessed and prays that the Spirit may come down upon them to give them the effectiveness to do what they need to do, the become what they are called to be….   

 

Each sacrament of the church has this sign of the 'laying of hands, and the calling down of the spirit, and I do invite the young people to watch for when these signs occur in our prayers….    in confirmation, Bishop Finnigan will place his hands on your head… and pray that the Holy Spirit be poured down upon you, and give you special gifts… spiritual building blocks to help you live as good disciples of Jesus….   

 

Traditionally, the church sees that there are seven gifts of the holy spirit, and the young ones preparing for confirmation and first holy communion are learning about them:

the spirit gives the gift of : 

 

wisdom - the gift of being able to see things the way God sees them. To accept my life from God and be able to learn and grow through all that happens to me.

 

understanding  - the gift of being able to capture the meaning of God's message. To listen, to think things through and to be able to put myself in others' shoes

 

right judgement - the ability to see what to do in a given situation. to be able to choose and act for what is right and good and true.

 

courage - the ability to be able to keep doing something we know to be right and good even when it is difficult. to accept difficulties and challenges in my life cheerfully and firmly and strongly.

 

knowledge - the gift of knowing that God is the Father and that Jesus is his son,  and knowing about what God teaches us. to willingly learn about and develop my relationship with God and other people.

 

 

reverence - a deep respect, gentleness and care shown towards God, God's creation and people.. To have respect and care for myself, all people and all things of our world.

 

“wonder and awe”  in God's presence. Gift of being able to appreciate and enjoy and be aware of all the amazing beauty that is in our world and the ability to see that God is at work still in our world.. to be deeply impressed and in amazement about all the wonders God has done for me, and for others and for the world and for the things that happen in life, big and small.

 

May we all be open to the gifts of the Holy spirit, and say 'yes' to God building us up into living stones in God's house of kindness, practical action and love…

 

 

(bless the candles of the children preparing for confirmation and communion)

 

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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I was really Impressed by the words of reflection given by Abbott Philip in his monastery community of Christ in the Desert, in New Mexico,…  he writes, on the readings this weekend…

 

Today’s Gospel says so simply:  my sheep hear my voice!  No one can take them out of my hand.

 

SO, we are invited and challenged to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus today.  It is by listening to His voice and recognizing His presence and believing in Him that we are saved. 

 

[[pwk]]….But surely (just as importantly….  Just as essnentially……)   listening to him and believing is not the end….. but only the beginning……   Sometimes we hear people…..    speaking of “all we need to do is believe in Jesus as Lord….”    It is certainly true that believing in Jesus as Lord is important….   But that does not make sense unless the kind of “believing” we are referring to is not just holding some ‘concept’  or intellectual understanding of who Jesus is…..  but an ACTIVE kind of believing…..    when (BECAUSE) of who we belive Jesus is…..  it means we Believe in what he DID…. And we believe in his message….  And we accept that message … and LIVE IT…. In practical, concrete ways…….  Otherwise….  If we just say…  yeah, I do accept Jesus is God’s son… but don’t live in the reality of what that means for our lives… and how we act …. And our priorities….  Then it becomes a veryhollow platitude…………   [[pwk]]

 

So…  “we have to respond to that voice,……  though (true)…… only believing in Jesus gives us the strength to act from faith and live that reality…….

 

The first reading today, from the Acts of the Apostles, tells us about preaching the word of God.  Only if we have heard that word ourselves can we preach it effectively.  Again the challenge of this Sunday is to hear the voice of the Shepherd, to hear the voice of Jesus and to let it touch our hearts and our minds.  If we ourselves are not converted, we shall never be able to inspire others by the truth of Jesus ……. We will never be able to draw others to the Lord.

 

I mean week in and week out … we preach that Jesus is Lord… and he makes us all brothers and sisters in God’s family…..   believing this changes everything about how we act….   We don’t make distinctions in the dignity of the people we relate to……   because of this belief….   We try to avoid acting as if there are different classes of people….  Who are treated differently from others…..   no we respect and treat everyone with the same dignity and love…. Or else we have totally missed the point of who Jesus is and what he was here to do…..

 

 

The second reading today, from the Book of  Revelation, speaks of the countless numbers of people who hae borne witness to Jesus’ message, many of whom have paid the ultimate price for their belief in the values worth standing up for…… 

 

[[This is fitting on this Anzac weekend, where we remember those who put their own lives last…  in the defense of family, friend and stranger…   because of their beliefs in the lasting value of things…..  We shall never forget this sacrifice… no greater love has a person than to lay down their life for their friends…..    and also…   there are many ways people lay down their lives.. the ultimate.. is the loss of their physical life… and in addition many have laid down the quality of their lives, due to the sacrifices they made……   their health and peace of mind, effected by what they sacrificed.. we remember them too….   ]]

 

Sometimes we surely ask ourselves:  how do we listen to God and let His word transform us?  There is no easy answer.  We can read the Scripture every day and sometimes it seems not to penetrate us.  We can try to meditate and at times, all we have is inner emptiness.  We can ask God to possess and yet at times we sense only abandonment.

 

In all of this, we must persevere.  We must continually ask God to touch our hearts and our minds, even when we find ourselves resisting Him.  We must continue to read the Scriptures even when they seem not to touch us….. ….

 We must continue with meditation, prayer and contemplation even when nothing seems to happen.  Perseverance over many years of knocking at God’s door is the only answer.  He may give us small glimpses at times or He may leave us in darkness for years. [[ we cannot demand how and when God touches our lives….  We let go in trust… and ask God for patience and wisdom…for God to act in God’s own time… which is different… so very different from ours]]

 

We are invited to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd.  We know that He is with us, even when we walk in the valley of darkness.  May our profound awareness of His presence lead us onward, believing that in the end, He will give us light and let us hear His voice.  Let us sing alleluia to the Lord.

 

 

(Abbot Philip, OSB; with additions in brackets by Paul kelly

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REFERENCES:

 

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

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections EASTER SUNDAY 3-4TH APRIL, 2010.

EASTER SUNDAY 3-4^TH APRIL, 2010.  FR PAUL KELLY

 

Jesus is risen…  he is with us….   We do not look for him among the dead….  But he has gone ahead of us, into the town… into the places everyone lives, works and socialises….   It is here we will continue to meet him……

 

There is a lot of running going on in the gospels for Easter weekend…….(Holy Saturday and the Easter Sunday morning gospel too)……  for example…Mary of Magdala runs to see the disciples when she finds the tomb empty…. The disciples.. peter and john run back to see for themselves this amazing claim…..    And no wonder they run… its Extraordinary…  it is incredible…  they cannot comprehend what has happened……    The news is so AMAZING that the gospel says that the disciples did not initially believe the women’s story because it sounded like nonsense….   So they raced to see for themselves…… 

 

And wonderfully…  the first piece of information that shows them something amazing has happened..  is they they find an empty tomb…   finding nothing doesn’t sound like a lot at first glance… but it’s it’s the start… // it’s the first thing…./  His body is not where it should be…   the cloths are removed…  and, in another gospel account of the Resurrection,  it says “the cloth for the head-covering was folded up in another place”… not something that would have happened if the body had been simply moved or stolen….//they knew this was the first of series of things that confirmed.. that he had risen.. he was alive… beyond teir wildest expectations…..  and better than any faint hope…

I love the symbolism of Easter….  So many wonderful signs and symbols that all point to the reality that God is faithful to us… that God wants to walk with us through our whole life journey….and will never cease to love us as beloved sons and daughters …….

The most impressive and striking symbol of Easter… and it continues through the Easter season and also in many of our celebrations during the year…. the Easter candle…..   symbol of Christ… the light of the world… who scatters the darkness of sin and death and shows us the way……   

I love how in baptism and also in renewing baptismal promises…  in the reception of RCIA candidates and in confirmation and communuion ceremonies and first reconciliation…..we light a little baptismal candle and give it the candidate… (or the parents/godparents who receive it on behalf of a child if they’re too young to hold it themselves..)……   the baptised child becomes a child of God..  a child of light….    We carry the light of Christ with us wherever we go… we are like  a “little light of Christ” to all we meet…  it’s the same light as God’s… it takes nothing from God, we are linked by the same light within us…….  We have been called from darkness into God’s wonderful light… we will now walk as children of the light always….   With Christ as our guide….

 

The flame of God’s love (and life) cannot be put out… it lives on..  it rises to new life… and this is what we celebrate this Easter and every day of our lives…

 

The image of light and dark.. features heavily in the Holy week….   Mary Magdelene and the other women.. went to the tomb on the first Easter Sunday so early that it was still dark…   the dawn had only just occurred, and the light had not yet illuminated the world…   that is a beautiful image….   Jesus is risen… but the light of Jesus has not yet ascended to all places and all people..   so we, like Mary Magdelene and the other disciples walk in the truth that the dawn has come, but the light has not fully shone in all parts of our world or (for that matter)..in all parts of our own hearts and lives.. but it has well and truly begun and cannot be stopped…..   //the Light of Christ will rise and shine on all things and all people… putting an end, (eventually), to all things of the darkness..// all sin and all injustice….  We walk and live in this hope….and our actions and priorities strive to match this vision … this hope….

And, as College principal, Joy Massingham writes in her Easter newsletter…. “On a personal level, Easter reminds us that even when hope seems as if it is dead and buried, Christ is there.” That is so true….  God has the final say… God is at work bringing life even out of the darkest moments….In so many ways, Christ’s resurrection is the highest example of the all the little resurrections and new beginnings that God does work in our lives ….  New life, just when we thought hope seemed dead…. Or we thought we were stuck in a situation without hope of a change… and suddenly something happens.. a light dawns.. and a new path opens up.. and we walk on in wonder and awe and how this could have happened……

 

Congratulations to the members of the rite of Christian initiation of adults….   Who are being welcomed into the church this Easter….   Tonight.. we have Jeannie S., //….. and also Tia and Rachel, who are being confirmed and receiving first communion tonight, to complete their initiation into the church……  ….   We have also welcomed into the church recently..  Tracey S. and Joy W... (both of whom can’t be here with us tonight.. but they are both in our prayers and best wishes)….    You are celebrating tonight that we are all called to be followers of Jesus, people of hope and thanksgiving.. and people who carry the light of Christ to all we meet, in everything we do and say…..// Thank you for your affirmation of faith which renews and encourages us all in our faith journey too)

 

AND THANKS TO Tom and Anne Metcalfe  who are having their baby, Stella Rose,  baptised in mass Easter Sunday morning… // as I mention.. Easter Sunday is the ideal day for baptism…    just as we go into the water of baptism.. and come out newly reborn… so too we remember, in this Easter message, that we too go into the tomb with Jesus so that we can rise to new and everlasting life.. and all the promises that Jesus makes to us, that Easter Sunday shows to be true and forever valid… 

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May God bless everyone with peace.. and may we always walk as children of the light…   people of hope and people of thanksgiving…   determined to ensure that our lives and actions match the hope we are called to…

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections GOOD FRIDAY. 2ND APRIL 2010.

GOOD FRIDAY. 2^ND APRIL 2010.  FR PAUL KELLY

 

“My God my God, why have you abandoned me?”

These words on the lips of Jesus are heart-rending and powerful still….  And THANK GOODNESS these words are on Jesus’ lips… it says so very much!!!! 

 

Jesus knows what it is like to suffer…..

Jesus knows what it is like to feel utterly abandoned…   even to feel abandoned by God the Father…in a moment of intense need…….  But to keep on trusting and hoping…..

 

God knows what it is like….

 

Jesus cries out in the voice of all who suffer, who feel abandoned…  who are alone…… //  Jesus suffers with them and calls out for justice on their behalf.,.. and with them,….//

 

On a day like today, I can’t help but think of the many different ways people carry crosses in this life….  And the many ways that God is in there with us…..

I think of the countless people throughout history and across the nations, whose lives were not counted as valuable… whose lives were considered dispensable by others….  Who disappeared by night under some oppressive regime.. or whose lives were treated by contempt by others more powerful than them…  their lives were mistreated  and many went to their deaths voiceless…  unknown…  unsung……   Jesus death on the cross says that even if people are mistreated… even if they are silenced without any respect for human dignity…  even is the humblest, most voiceless person is not given the reverence all humans deserve…..  their plight is known by God and will be vindicated…..  they are of value.. and their value is not determined by how poorly they were treated by others…  God has the last say… and its one of faithfulness….

 

We think of those who are poor, lacking food, shelter, medicine, education….  We think of those who are fighting for justice and fairness whilst others take more than their share….. 

 

We think of people in our own community, suffering illness, pain, injustice, lack of self-worth..  who are feeling unforgiven and unloved….  All these people do MATTER to God and the cross says, they should all matter to us to…..  If Jesus loved them and us enough to give up everything he had to save us….  Then we are challenged to imitate him in big and small ways …. And strive to walk the road less travelled.. and not to be put off by the possibility that we might suffer for what is worthwhile in life, for what is worth standing up for…  we will be vindicated, we will be lifted up… 

 

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On this solemn celebration of Good Friday, I think of a quote from the first lady to win the prestigious Pulitzer prize for international reporting…  “The struggle to maintain peace is immeasurably more difficult than any military operation." (Anne O'Hare McCormick (1882-1954)

 

Jesus knew that from the outset…. Is this why the cross is so central to the message of Jesus?   Because the way of peace… the way of love…  the way of self-sacrificing service… , whilst absolutely vital and very much desirable… is a hard, hard road….  A path to Calvary and the cross…  something that will take everything one can give…   in a goal worth achieving.. but a goal that has an enormous cost…    a love that suffers…. For others.. and for what is right….

 

The cross of Jesus is not that God wants us to suffer..  but shows us that God is prepared to personally pay the ultimate price for what matters…   for us……  //…but that price is a hard, narrow road, where there is no short cut to the goal…..

 

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We are gathered around this powerful symbol of the Cross of Jesus Christ….   Jesus loved us so much he gave everything to save us…  He gave his life for us….   He allowed everything bad about human sin to be nailed to the cross with him and defeated….  He takes all our sins… all our suffering… all our worries…. All our fears…  all that weighs us down and imprisons us and allows it to be nailed to the cross with him .. so it will be defeated….   So that we might have life and life to the full…..   Jesus shows God’s love…. A perfect love….   Jesus shows us the example of a love that serves others and respects everyone… and he calls us to follow him in this love…   the cross defeats all that is bad… and Jesus promised to rise up on the third day to new life.. and invites us to share in this new life forever…

 

In a little while the cross will be carried in to the church… and placed at the foot of the sanctuary for veneration….    For you to venerate in a way that is meaningful to you…… a bow, a touch…. A kiss……   everyone has their own way………..   As you look upon the wood of the cross.. as you touch it………..  we can pray in silence to our Lord……….  What are the things in your life that you want to nail to the cross of Jesus..  to unite with Jesus’ cross………// What worries.. What prayers.. What sins.. What hopes and fears.. // Who are you praying for at the moment?…   Visualise yourself connecting those things to the cross; so Jesus will transform them.. and give you victory and hope….

 

When we go from here today..  Let us pray and reflect:  how can I be a servant leader to everyone I meet?….   How can I help lessen others burdens?…  to lighten the load……   In what ways can I put others first and show God’s love and respect to others….

  

 

 

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections HOLY THURSDAY HOMILY. 1ST APRIL 2010. FR. PAUL KELLY

HOLY THURSDAY  HOMILY. 1^ST APRIL 2010.  FR. PAUL KELLY

 

The thing that really strikes me in the readings this year….   is the wonderful line from the second reading tonight…..  from St Paul, in his letter to the people of Corinth….  “this is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you…..”      //  what he received, he in turn passed on to others….….   And what those people received.. they passed on to those they knew… and t their beloved families…….//…  and, generation after generation has faithfully passed down this treasured faith….. this sacred story….    Over two thousand years…..  right through to this gathering of the church in prayer…. United with the church throughout the world…… 

 

We hold a treasure so special, so precious……   so life giving……   it is hard to put into words……… There is a richness,…  and a connection that we never take for granted…….  That we can reflect  upon for a lifetime……   //

The other thing that struck me about the gift of the Eucharist…., Christ’s gift to his disciples…..  the gift of his abiding and real presence amongst us…….,   which we commemorate in this Holy Thursday night…..  is that, at the end of Jesus’ earthly life….   Knowing that he would soon suffer and die….  Knowing that one of his own followers was about to betray him… and that people were turning against him just for suggesting that God wants all people to be part of God’s family.. and to live in peace, harmony and justice with one another and with God…..   and aware that his own disciples were not fully getting his message and that they would soon all scatter… and even Peter would deny him….  Knowing all of this, you could be forgiven for feeling bitter, disillusioned, angry….   Sorry for oneself……   Jesus was none of these things…….    he was sad, and, yes, he was very fearful of what would come, and he must have been tired and disappointed….  …… but despite all this….  He longs to share a final meal with his friends….  He takes bread.. and takes a cup… and he looks up to heaven and he gives heartfelt thanks to his heavenly Father…..   in the midst of everything that was happening and what was about to happen… his whole life… his whole attitude it one great act of thanksgiving and service…. That is so impressive….   It is beautiful…..    it would be understandable of a person, faced with all this, was moody, distracted, self-absorbed and withdrawn… but instead… Jesus takes time out to thank his Hevenly father for so many great gifts… he thinks clearly about giving his followers this lasting way of being connected to him, come what may… and he gets up and serves them.. by washing their feet…. To show the attidude and focus of his message…  self-sacrifice…  service.. and above all… a love that gives everything for others……      Jesus is our inspiration and our model for everything….

 

We too, in everything we do and say, must be people of thanksgiving….  Even today, the word eucharist…  means “thanksgiving’ “’’   so in good times and blessed times… let us give thanks for all the many, many gifts we have….   And even in times of difficulty  and pain…  of turmoil and doubt… let us continue to be grateful and remember the gifts that we still have… and give thanks to God for everything and everyone…  if we take on Jeus’ thanksgiving, grateful and loving service attitude.. the world would be utterly transformed… and us along with it……

 

Let us, (in good times and bad…  in season and out of season…  be people of thanksgiving…  Eucharistic people in word, action and truth)…..

 

As with every year, (in this sacred three days of the church year), there are some noticeable differences and omissions in the usual pattern of our liturgy…. These are all deliberate and powerful in their symbolism and significance…..

At the end of the mass tonight there is no final blessing or dismissal… and tomorrow at the Good Friday commemoration..  again there is no greeting or “dismissal proclamation”…   and also, on Holy Saturday the ceremony begins without any formal “sign of the cross” or greeting….  This is because these three days… and these three liturgies are actually one and the same (united liturgy)… spaced out over three days…. // --  A powerful, continuous journey….  Spread out over three days………With pauses between for reflection and prayer…..  

The differences, and solemnity also flow through to the absence of greetings and endings in the gospel…..  and of course… after mass tonight…  the altar and sanctuary is stripped of decoration…..   taken back to the bare, unadorned furniture… as a sign that the shepherd is struck,,, the sheep are scattered… and the church waits in vigil … mourning, waiting, fasting…..   longing for the bridegroom   to return….  Everything sparse… until the joy of Easter…..

 

And on good Friday, there is no holy water in the fonts….. and the tabernacle is empty.. the usually continuously flickering red light to indicate Christ’s presence in the sacrament..   is out….  We wait in darkness for the Light of the world to rise again……

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections Palm Sunday/ Passion SUnday 2010

Palm Sunday 2010.

 

Since the gospel reading of the Passion is so long this weekend, I will only say a few words about the gospel today…. 

 

During this coming week, it would be wonderful to take the long version of Luke’s Gospel and read through it prayerfully and reflectively. There is a lot of richness in this most important text.

 

Two things that stike me about the version of Luke’s Passion account that we listened to this weekend….

 

1.     The enemies of Jesus are liars. They hated his message of love, forgiveness and inclusion and spent all their time trying to trap Jesus and find something against him. In the end they could find nothing wrong… so…   did they give up?  No, they just made up accusations…   the thigns they accuse Jesus of in Luke’s Gospel are lies….  Jesus was inciting revolt?  No he wasn’t. he was seeking to avoid it. Opposing payment  to Caesar, no he didn’t, and okay, yes he was claiming to be the Christ… but to say he was setting himself up as a King to overthrow the earthly leader.. was a distortion to make Jesus look insidious…    They were lying through their teeth to convict Jesus,.. but even Pilate says…  he is not guilty….  

2.      When people bring Jesus to Herod, he is completely self-absorbed… he doesn’t even listen to what they are saying… he just wants to meet Jesus and get him to do a miracle… it’s a horrific sign of out of touch, self-serving leadership that doesn’t even know what the issues are….

Jesus came to forgive, include and welcome… and he is repaid in rejection, dishonesty and hatred….  He showed the absolute depth of his love by sacrificing everything for us…  and this has saved us….  We thank God, for Jesus’ life and saving death.. and we keep vigil this week as we enter the holiest week of the Church’s year…  a journey through suffering love…  leadership of complete service…  that goes through death to new and everlasting life…

 

 

Paul's Reflections Fifth Sunday of Lent - C

21st March, 2010      Fifth Sunday of Lent - C

 

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(The Woman caught in Adultery)

 

This gospel is disturbing in so many ways….   We all know that Jesus is our saviour….   But in this present Gospel situation, this truth became immediately relevant to the woman who was caught in this life or death situation.  As the experts of the law were so happy to point out, the law entitled them to stone this woman to death. What a brutal and harsh justice….   No one would have dared to dispute, though,  if Jesus had taken the high moral line that the experts in the law were taking, since it WAS the letter of the law.  But Jesus really cares about us, and really cared about the true welfare of this woman, and so he refused to condemn her and did not go along with the baying crowd in giving them what they expected. 

 

Jesus has our true interests at heart….  Jesus’ accusers were just USING this woman as a device to trap him. They did not care for her welfare of her salvation and were using her as an object to attack Jesus.

 

It is a reminder that it is possible to use a righteous thing for an unrighteous motive…  they appeared, whilst claiming to be faithful followers of God, to be filled with malice and hate and contempt…. Not only for Jesus, but for human life…..  they were showing their true colours…

 

It’s a terrible trait in us humans that we, all too easily see the faults and sins of others, but can be quite blind to our own personal failing,s faults and sins….   Also, the natural inclination of human nature is, when faced with outward visible sin and failings… one can be tempted to kick the person when they are down….   Its as if a mirror is being shone at us and we don’t like the reflection, so we can try to remove anyone who shows weakness, and sin and failings, because it can remind us that we too are weak, and sinful and fail …..

 

This gospel challenges us all…  in our work, in our homes, in our churches and in our community…..   in what ways are we tempted to thrown metaphorical stones at those we see to have weaknesses and failings…….  In what way are we failing to humbly acknowledge our own weaknesses….. and sins…  how can we ask the Lord to help us to be people who build others up, and don’t tear them down…..  can we ask the Lord to give us the grace to respond with compassion, sensitivity and gentleness when faced with others weaknesses, sins and failings…  and can we be gentle and constructive about our own sins and failings too….   Jesus wants to lift sin and enmeshment from our shoulders not have us trapped and stuck in these things forever and ever…

 

Many generations of people have wondered… what in the world did Jesus write in the sand… why didn’t john the evangelist tell us what he wrote…..   but that is the thing….  The gospel writers don’t tell us everything… they tell us what they regard as important… and for John.. and with Jesus…  its what you DO that counts… not just what you say… not just what you write…   Jesus didn’t just talk the talk… he ACTED justly and lovingly and compassionately… and he showed that these experts in the law knew the letter but had failed to live the spirit of God’s law… and were doing great harm because of it…

 

The contrast between Jesus and the experts in the law is enormous…. 

 

Isn’t it interesting that there is no one more compassionate the loving and gentle towards those who have fallen than truly holy people…. The real saints are the the ones who are closest to those who have done wrong.. and are living complex lives…   and their presence amongst them is loving and gentle… 

 

The opposite is also sadly true… there is no one more judgemental and condemnatory and intolerant than the self-righteous phoneys…  they can look very similar to the holy ones, but their actions and attitudes show them up for what they really are…  fakes… and frauds…  Jesus shows us the true response to people in their brokenness and sin and pain….  The self-righteous phoneys are unbridging in their expectations and unforgiving in their standards,…. Except when it comes to their own failings… then everyone should just move on quickly… and get over it….   A horrific double standard that Jesus rejects utterly…

 

Jesus is not only the good shepherd… he is the divine surgeon..  the ONLY reason he would want our sins exposed is so that they can be brought out into the light.. and only for the purposes of healing and wholeness… not to condemn, not to imprison and never to reject…. 

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REFERENCES:

 

• FR. PAUL W. KELLY
• MISSION 2000  – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR c. BY MARK LINK S.J.
• 2010 – A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE.
• SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAY LITURGIES. YEAR C. FLOR MCCARTHY S.D.B.

 

 

Paul's Reflections Fourth Sunday of Lent - C

14th March, 2010      Fourth Sunday of Lent - C

 

The parables of Jesus are really profound and challenging….  But WATCH OUT>>>>   we  can “kill” Jesus' parables if we neutralise them or water them down with worldly wisdom. Jesus is offering us unworldly wisdom.

 

So too with the so-called “lost son” parable. When he comes back his father gives him a

-Robe

-ring

-shoes

 

These are signs of status. This lost son is now FULLY REINSTATED, NO QUESTIONS, NO RETRIBUTION, NO AMENDS. This is completely insane! But it gets worse. They kill the fatted calf. Perhaps this calf was being fattened for the other sons wedding day feast some time in the future. The father in this story is foolish. But he says "we had to celebrate, he was lost to me and I love him, not matter what, and I have got him back! I had to do this, he is my son after all, I cannot deny him……(Wow).

 

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"  !!!!

Very telling…   about human nature… and God’s absolutely insane and 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.

 

The story has something for everybody: for those who have strayed in their lives and wonder if they would be welcome in the “father’s house”; for those who have returned to be met on the way with mercy and joy; for those who feel they have always been the good and dutiful ones and who feel miffed when the black sheep returns to such a fine reception. The point is, at one time or another we all find ourselves “outside the father’s house,” and he is eager to welcome us inside where we belong. It’s a day to ask ourselves, “What’s preventing me from entering the father’s house in joy?” and to make haste to let go of everything that keeps me from finding my way home.

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·        FOLLOWING THE LORD – BY REV JOHN FUELLENBACH SVD.  TALKS ON DISCIPLESHIP. BASED ON HIS BOOK: “THROW FIRE” (1997)

·        Prepare the Word reflections

 

Paul's Reflections Third Sunday of Lent - C. 7th March, 2010

7th March, 2010      Third Sunday of Lent - C

 

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

 

 

The readings this weekend highlight the absolutely vital connection between God’s nature and JUSTICE; and between a God of love and a God who acts on that love in practical ways, to help those in need.

 

And how essentially interconnected is our discipleship of Christ and our lives of active service.

 

Social action, and social justice and GOD go together, necessarily !

 

You have probably heard of the model of Christian action called “SEE, JUDGE, ACT”

 

That is, we as Christians are encouraged to SEE the situations and needs around us, to be aware of what is happening around us;  … to assess or JUDGE what is needed to be done in response to those needs and then to ACT….  To DO something about these needs.

 

Well, we see from the first reading that God INVENTED that model….   Because, God SEES the need of his beloved people, who are being mistreated…   God decides that he has to DO something about it to free them from their oppression…..   And GOD acts, definitively in history by calling upon his servant Moses to ‘set his people free’.

 

And God then works WITH and THROUGH Moses and his brother Aaron to achieve the freedom God desires for his people.

 

Some people say, how can God stand by and see so much suffering and so much injustice in the world?  … But, in reality… God SEES and cannot STAND the wrongdoing and injustice in the world…. And HAS and DOES do something about it…..  God CALLS upon all people of goodwill… such as Moses….   To DO something about it….   God has no hands on earth but ours….   As the saying goes… 

 

God also PROMISES to be with all who strive and work for justice in the world… and God is also very much with the people who are suffering and in need..

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On this special weekend, where we commemorate a special milestone….   Sixty years ago to this very day…..  the Maryborough Catholic Women’s League was formed……..  (or as it was then known the Catholic Daughters of Australia, Maryborough Branch)….  The then parish priest, Monsignor Jordan SAW various needs …   for a group that would meet the social and charitable needs in the community….  And as a wonderful support to the parish’s mission…. And so, the Catholic Daughters of Australia, Maryborough branch was born.

 

Now, sixty years later… sixty years to the day…  we celebrate  sixty wonderful years of …SEEING needs…..deciding on a course of action….   And ACTING to make a difference in the parish in the wider community and the world…..

 

Even a very brief list of the works, events, activities and projects of the CWL over the last sixty years is a MOST impressive “C.V”  for any organisation….  Absolutely superb.   

 

In so many, many ways, the CWL have put prayer, reflection and community and action into a perfect combination.. for the good of others and for all…

 

We thank God for the graces God has bestowed through the generosity of the CWL members of these 60 years…   May there be many, many more years of blessing…

 

++++

 

In this season of Lent….  The readings invite us to keep reflecting on our lives and the challenges hat can de-focus us ……  

 

In the second reading today…  Saint Paul has some very strong words for the community in Corinth….   St Paul warns them very sternly.. to be on their guard……   He lists three great dangers that can poison a community….  

Complacency…..    Self-indulgence… and a culture of Complaint and negativity…..

 

Make no mistake.. each of these are absolutely deadly to a community….

 

St Paul mentions Moses again…  this time in relation to Moses the people of Israel as they travel in the desert for forty years…..  This community suffered greatly by a culture of complaint….  The people have been freed by God from their slavery   and are now being led by Mosese….  But they start complaining and grumbling….  And the people get negative and start complaining …  including saying that they would have been better staying in Egypt as slaves… which is an awful thing to say…..   One could imagine that for a group of people travelling as pilgrims through the wilderness for such a long time….  Living from one moment to the next….   Negativity and complaints and dissatisfaction would utterly infest and stall any means of moving forward… its absolutely poisonous….  // St Paul warns the people of Cornith.. and us in this day and age too…..   NOT to get sucked into a culture of negativity and complaint….

 

St Paul warns us that there is nothing more destructive than a culture of negativity and criticism and complaint in a community… it will rip the community in two and render it useless…..

 

It can be so easy to become a toxic influence that stunts any development and growth….. and we always walk a fine line between looking constructively at any obstacles… in our way….  And  harping on the negatives until a project falls over……  We would never do anything if we only focus on the obstacles… and in fact, I have always believe… the first question is ‘is it worth doing…’  if the answer is YES… then do it..  despite the obstacles…..    if something is worthy of doing…   the obstacles are merely challenges that stand in our way… challenges to be overcome… and will be overcome… and not things that stop us in our tracks….

 

I just think of all the wonderful, wonderful projects achieved in the past and even today … by so many generous people , including the CWL….    It would never have been achieved without God’s grace and inspiration…. And without positive encouragement and energy…..     to overcome any and all obstacles……..   to achieve all worthy goals……

 

Let us continue to build upon  this in every way….

 

For the honour and glory of God…

 

 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections homily..28th Feb 2010 Second Sunday of Lent - C

28th Feb 2010      Second Sunday of Lent - C

 

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This weekend’s gospel of the Transfiguration of the Lord, is a wonderful reminder that God’s glory is around us all the time…   in the people and events of life…..  but it is not always as obvious as this moment that Jesus experienced… where his face shone like light….. 

 

We have all had highpoint moments…  when something special happens to us in our lives and its as thought the veil between this life and the next is parted and we glimpse heaven… and a tast of God’s wonder……   but then those moments are gone and we are back to the everyday events of life. But those highpoint moments are there to spur us on and to remind us that God’s glory is always present…. The spiritual writer Thomas Merton puts it this way…  “every one of us walks around the streets of this town shining like the sun….  if only we knew it…. “ If only we realised it……

 

There is a line in one of the scripture commentaries that I really like….  It says…   Jesus would never do anything without his Father’s approval…   This seems such an obvious statement, but it sparked something in me….   OF COURSE he would only ever do his Heavenly Father’s will… and would not do one thing that was not according to The Father’s plan…….   And these key moments of affirmation and confidence in him marked significant signs of the Father’s approval of all that he was doing and saying…. And that his vision was correct…

 

For us, too…    we always try, in our lives, to ensure that everything we do and say is according to God’s ways…..   and in our prayer and reflection time, it is vital that we stop and be still and reflect on our lives to try to ensure that our actions, our priorities and our attitudes are consistent with and according to God’s will…..    the difficult thing is, we won’t get thunder, lightning and cloud…. We won’t see a vision of the transfiguration……   but in our prayer and reflection and by walking around with our eyes open to what God is doing in our lives and in our town…   we should get a sense of what is consistent with God’s plans and what is not….   And we may even, from time to time, have one of these mountaintop affirmation experiences…  (nothing like Jesus’, but things that happen that empower us, encourage us, renew and affirm us in what we are doing…..)…  I believe that when we are doing what is consistent with God’s ways, things will fall into place and various things will affirm and confirm that we are on the right track…  but we have to watch and listen and discern .. and they may be subtle and simple things…  

 

 

There is another very interesting line in this reading today….  It says… the disciples saw his glory, because they had stayed awake…. 

 

In many ways.  We can walk through life like sleepwalkers… not awake to what is happening around us…  looking and looking, but not SEEING… // listening and listening… but not UNDERSTADING…. 

 

It is so important to stay awake to what is going on around us….  

 

And when we get a 25,000 volt experience that shows us reality in  a new light…  we have to be careful not to expect to keep living at 25,000 volts….   No one can live at that level… it has to be brought down to 240 volts for daily use….    And same with our spiritual life..  we can gratefully accept the special moments God gives us to encourage us and prompt us on…  but we must not try to stay at that…  and we may be ill advised if we keep trying to replicate the same ways of getting that special experience…. We must trust in God that God will give us what we need in due time and in the ways that God chooses….   We should not try to tell or expect God to act in a certain way, and keep acting in a certain way….    Its God who is in charge..  we are servants whose eye is on the hand of our master..  waiting for the slightest movement.. so that we might leap up and answer whatever is requested…

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·          FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·          MISSION 2000  – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR C. BY MARK LINK S.J.

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

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

 

 

Paul's Reflections homily..First Sunday of Lent - C

First Sunday of Lent - C  .     21st February, 2010

From Fr Paul:

 

Jesus was truly tempted as he fasted and prayed in the desert. The point of this time is not how powerful Jesus’ willpower is. Sometimes, we focus too much on the fact that, ‘well of course he resisted temptation, he was God.”  Yes, Jesus is God, but he is also fully

human and he was truly tempted just as we all are. Because he knows what temptation is like and overcame it, he can empathise and help us in our temptation and YES, we too can overcome it. It is not the realm of God, it is an invitation to a new way of being for all of us.

 

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Every Lent, the archbishop sends a special message to be read out at all Masses. Here is the Lenten Message for 2010, of Archbishop John Bathersby.

 

THE ARCHBISHOP’S LENTEN MESSAGE:

THE season of Lent is a season for prayer and fasting.

It leads us into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ enabling us to focus on Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

Lent belongs to the spiritual rhythm of the Church, and year after year it leads us back to the very centre of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Knowing how short this life is for all Lent encourages us each year to enter into a closer relationship with Jesus in order to know Him better.

The key to such knowledge is prayer, and Lent this year is focussed in a special way on prayer that we will explore in a national gathering July 7-10 named, 'Pray 2010'.

The gathering will allow us to listen to a variety of speakers, men and women from Australia and different parts of the world, who are experts on prayer, and who will teach us its importance.

They will explain to us how Jesus prayed, how they pray, and how we can learn to pray by focussing on Jesus and listening to them.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is our absolute key to faith.

Faith without prayer is a contradiction in terms, and from the very beginning of creation prayer has changed both the world and ourselves.

As Paul the apostle explained in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "For everyone who is in Christ, the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here".

Jesus came to the old world as a helpless child in a manger, and then at the rather young age of 30 obeyed His Father's will that He preach good news to the world.

He completed that good news for our benefit not only by His words, but most importantly by His death and resurrection.

Each of us therefore is a new person because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The foundation of His good news always was prayer.

He prayed at His baptism in the Jordan, prayed over sick and suffering people during His mission, prayed for the success of His apostles, and on occasions even left sick and suffering people behind in order to pray. Prayer was the language of relationship with His Father.

Only through prayer was He able to understand the will of His Father and grasp the nature of His mission.

Towards the end of His earthly life He prayed also in the garden of Gethsemane, asking for the courage to do His Father's will.

Condemned to death, He prayed for those people ridiculing and tormenting Him, and for the criminals crucified with him.

In His very last breath He prayed to be with His Father knowing that He had fulfilled His Father's will.

However, His lifelong prayer which He shared with His apostles and us was prayer for a new world and a new people, including each and every one of us.

His prayer was answered by His Father with resurrection.

Today in our frantically busy world what we need above all is prayer, prayer that will help us understand the good news of Jesus, prayer that will give us a new world and a new creation, prayer that will make us new people, and finally prayer that will give us the courage of Jesus to take the good news of God out to all people, no matter what the cost.

As we well know, the season of Lent is a special time for prayer and fasting, so let us not neglect it.

However let us make an extra effort this Lent to participate in our great prayer of the Church, the Mass.

For those of us who are not able to do so let us seek moments when we can say simple prayers of gratitude and praise to our all loving God.

In Brisbane a small group of people meet regularly at the heart of the city simply to pray the prayer of Jesus - the Our Father.

Just by their simple prayers they do so much good that will only be realised when they meet God face to face.

If we try hard enough to pray, our entire lives will themselves become living prayers.

This year let us do all we can to participate, even if only in some small way, in our great gathering of "Pray 2010".

If we do so and listen to the speakers with open hearts and minds we will never regret it.

However, before we participate in this national gathering in July let us make sure that we have done all that is possible in this time of Lent to get ready for Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, and for the national gathering soon to follow.

Let this Lent become a magnificent preparation for our Archdiocesan gathering that will be held from July 7-10.

May Mary the Mother of Jesus and Blessed Mary MacKillop our patron, pray that God's Holy Spirit will make this Lent a spiritual powerhouse for all.

Let us become a praying Archdiocese filled with new people and a new Archdiocese, exactly as Jesus desired.
May God bless you all.