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.

 

 

Paul's Reflections 27th June, 2010 Thirteenth Sunday of the Year - C

27th June, 2010      Thirteenth Sunday of the Year - C

 

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The gospel this weekend shows various people coming up to Jesus and giving reasons why they can’t follow him immediately, but why they say they intend to follow him as soon as possible.

 

I think the key to this gospel is the first words of the passage….  “as the time grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven.”   In other words…  there was no time left…. There was an absolute urgency and immediacy to Jesus’ last days. There was no time but the present and there wasn’t time for hesitations and excuses and delays…. It was now or never……  so…  the reasons given by people may have been good.. they may have been weak, but they must not be allowed to stop the mission of Christ from being accomplished… one needs to get their priorities right…

 

It is a reminder that, when it comes to thinking of reasons to put off the urgent demands of the gospel of Jesus…  the requirements that go along with calling ourselves ‘followers of Jesus,’  there are weak excuses and also fairly good excuses for not putting Jesus’ message first…. But that irrespective of the reasons… Jesus’ gospel has an urgency that demands first priority…….    And we must not let the many reasons frustrate that plan… because there will always be good reasons to put off until tomorrow (or later) what really needs to be done today….  And of course.. tomorrow may never come….

 

We are also reminded not to spend out time looking back to the past…..  There is an example of a person who sold their property….  Their home was so nicely kept…  esp the gardens…   after this person sold their property… they made the mistake of continuing to drive past their old property to see how it was going.. and it was going badly… the new owners were trashing the property… it looked terrible……   it must have been heartbreaking….  It would have been better to move on.. look forward keep going… not look back…..

 

Similarly… there is the true story of a Russian Olympian who was given all sorts of special privileges.. such as a Mercedes and the likes, for being an Olympic champion… but they wanted to defect to the west….   When they finally decided to do so… it was only by literally turning their back on their car and their priveleges and moving forward with the only possessions they had in the world being the small suitcase they carried….  If they had tried to take anything more it would have alerted the authorities and the plan would have failed and ended tragically… 

 

The gospel today also raises the really important question of the extent to which we are capable of fooling ourselves…  and self-deceiving ourselves…   it can be a very subtle but effective thing….  Jesus wants us to be honest and clearsighted about our lives and our motives and priorities… it can be so easy to be self-indulgent but gloss over this by making up all sorts of noble excuses and reasons…. Which really are not authentic… 

 

Let us never underestimate the power of self deception…  it is in opposition to the light and openness and generosity of the gospel of Jesus…

 

Connected to this..  I have been reading on the subject of self-deception.. because it is such a powerful dynamic in the lives of so many…  one book, entitled “don’t believe everything you think… the six basic mistakes we make in thinking….   ‘ says that , on the whole.. people prefer stories over statistics…..   people often seek to confirm their own ideas as opposed to question their ideas…..   we rarely appreciate the role of coincidence in shaping our lives….  We sometimes misperceive the world around us…  we often tend to oversimplify our thinking and even if we think we have a good memory…  we often have faulty or selective memories…… 

 

The more we can accept that we have a tendency to self-deceive and self-justify., the more we will be open to Jesus’ call to follow him and place our priorities at his service… and be wary of the trap of self-serving justifications…

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

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

 

 

 

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Fr. Paul W. Kelly

Parish Priest of Saint Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough.

269 Adelaide Street

Maryborough Queensland

Australia. 4650

 

Office:  (07) 4121 3701

Fax: (07) 4121 2829

 

Fr Paul's Mobile Phone:  041 778 6456

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Paul's Reflections 12th Sunday Ordinary Time C. 20th June, 2010 .

20th June, 2010      12th Sunday Ordinary Time C

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There is a really beautiful line in the first reading….  It is striking and wonderful……….   “I shall pour out (upon the people)  a spirit of kindness and prayer…..”    (or…..  as another translation says…  “compassion and supplication.”      Or as yet another version says,….  “I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer”…..   and repentance…. “  It is a reminder that God always takes the initiative…   and has created within us a new “interior attitude” of attentiveness to God, of graciousness.. pleasant-ness…. And forgiveness …….  Which others can sense and to which they are inspired to respond positively.

Continuing on from what I was saying last week….  Our prayer must include contemplation upon the person and message of Jesus…. And this shows in the Gospel today…..   Jesus is in deep, solitude and prayer….  And from within this space of prayer comes his question to his disciples….   Who do people say I am….  Who do you say I am….   Who am I…..  you must know who I am and what I am doing…… 

Once he has made that point… he goes on… who I am.. what I am doing necessarily means the way of the Cross….  Who I am is the one who must walk the way of Calvary… and so must anyone who follows me……

And, as the first reading says…  prayer and compassion and forgiveness must go together… or else its distorted….  Prayer shows us the one who suffers because of the values God has and because of the opposing values of the world that others can have…

The power of Christ’s Cross is a constant challenge to our thinking and understanding….  How can the way of the CROSS be the way to fullness of truth and life……  it seems such a difficult concept to grasp and handle…..

But we believe the path of the Cross is the power and wisdom of God……  

We know by bitter experience… that for some reason God does not remove the crosses that we carry in life…. (God the loving father could not even remove the cross from his own beloved son’s shoulders…..   because it was necessary that he walked this path…………// God does not remove these crosses ,,, but its not because God wants us to suffer… not that suffering can’t be something that threatens to destroy us and destroy our hope…..   /  but what God always does in answer to our crosses… is to pour out his grace and love upon us….   To transform what we are experiencing ..  (by God’s faithfulnes and love)… to assure us that God is there with us .. especially in times of suffering and trial….   

Jesus’  message of the Cross reminds us that “God has a vivid memory for the least and most forgotten people.” – the people at their lowest…  those who are bowed down…..

God is wanting to affirm life and  be faithful to us especially when poverty, violence or tragedy are sowing death.”  

IF God does not appear to stop some of the tragedies and suffering and crosses in life, God certainly takes away the final meaning of these events and changes them into opportunity for grace, compassion and abiding love……… [Jesus said,]

Someone once wrote that

"God uses broken things….//

It takes broken soil to produce a crop,

broken clouds to give rain,

broken grain to give bread,

broken bread to give strength.

It is a broken alabaster jar

that gives forth perfume....

It is Peter weeping bitterly,

who returns to greater power."

True spiritual strength

lies not in holding on to things

but in letting go of them. (Writer: Vance Havner)

Only by "letting go and letting God"

can we open ourselves

to a greater power than our own.

The paradox of Christianity is, indeed,

we are strongest when we are weakest. Even if this is so challenging to know and understand.

May the Lord give us the courage to let go and give GOD total control of my life.  This does not mean we lose responsibility of our lives and actions and choices….  We still need to cooperate, but we become a willing sailing boat… open to the direction the Spirit leads us to …filling our sails and guiding us where God wants….  

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REFERENCES:

FR. PAUL W. KELLY

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

SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.

Paul's Reflections 13th June, 2010 11th Sunday Ordinary time C

13th June, 2010      11th Sunday Ordinary time C

 

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The beautiful image in today’s Gospel of the woman anointing Jesus with her tears, and with perfumed oil……   it must have been an extraordinary sight…  It is such a powerful incident that it is one of the very few events that are recounted, (in one form or another), in every one of the Gospels.  

 

So much is happening in this incident….  But not in words……    but in actions and gestures……  

 

The woman, who is apparently known as a sinful person, does this wonderful act of love and repentance and gratefulness…   with no words….   But it is clear that she knows that God loves her, she knows that she has been forgiven, and also that Jesus, who shows the love and forgiveness and welcome of God, will not turn her away….  But accepts this moving and humble act of reverence……….   She ‘gets it’  when others who are expert in the law, miss the point….   

 

In the silence…  her actions speak so much louder than words……   the lady Knows and understands Jesus message better than she can explain it in words……..   because Jesus’ message has inspired her to action.

 

Jesus, seems perfectly comfortable with this stillness and relative silence… broken only by the sobs of the woman….  Others watching it were clearly very uncomfortable and wondering what would happen and what Jesus’ reaction would be… but Jesus calmly, silently accepts this act of devotion in the spirit it was intended…. 

 

Jesus also invites the Pharisee to think about what he was doing…  why did he invite Jesus to this meal….  Why was he hosting a meal at all…  was it just a meaningless activity?   Was it just another excuse for a party?....  or was the meal what it always should be and what other things always could be…   a chance to engage with our fellow brothers and sisters and show real love and kindness and graciousness in practical hospitality and sharing of a meal…..  To Jesus, meals represented inclusion, love, kindness, reconciliation and forgiveness and so much more….

 

Our faith calls us to create times and places of stillness and silence…..  We live in a world…. In a society that is filled with noise and busyness……   there is hardly a time or a place when people stop and have silence and stillness….  And yet it is something we need more than ever….   You don’t have to look far (or listen far off) to hear a continuous stream of noise and music…  hustle and bustle…..  constant movement….   Mobile phones, internet…  // The party never seems to stop….   And I say that not as a party pooper…  not wanting to rain on anyone’s parade… but just to say… it’s always good for us all to just weigh up what is going on and what is being created……..    and whether the balance is being struck……//…. In a way, our world is at risk of being overstimulated….  And of course.. there would be some people whose lives are continually filled up with background music… and noise….   But there is a risk that God’s voice… found in the ‘sounds of silence’ and the ‘still small breeze’  could be effectively drowned out…. //….I can’t help but think of King David…  in today’s first reading…   He went off the rails….   He let his own personal desires and ‘wants’  to get the better of him…..   he pursued pleasure and self interest in such a horrible way that he deliberately put one of his soldiers in the thick of a battle (whilst staying home when he should have been out there with his troops)….  And the solider was killed, just so David could marry his wife…   it’s an horrific incident…   totally self-centred…  and God is shown as absolutely disgusted by this act of complete malice and selfishness….   But David repents.. and God forgives him.. not because David deserves it, not because he could ever make amends….   And not because David has earned his forgiveness… but simply by the nature of GOD’S love..  David must continue to face the consequences of his actions… but God chooses not to abandon him…  because of God’s goodness, not David’s.    David will spend the rest of his life facing the inner sinfulness that he can see in his heart…..   the huge gaps in his soul that have led to his terrible actions and lapses of judgement.

 

It is so important that our church and our faith provides us, and the wider community, with an oasis of stillness, prayer and silence…..   In fact, I wonder if it could be said… that our prayer life must also include regular (integral) space for silent and still meditation, lest we fail to leave room for the action and voice and surprising re-directions that God can be creating in our lives……   the precondition and essential element of a holistic prayer life must be not only classic prayers and words but silence and deep contemplation on the nature and person of God… and God’s values and priorities.

 

There is a time for everything, says the bible…..  so there is a time for busyness…   laughter…  light-heartedness and celebration……… it’s the spice of life……but we have to be careful not to ‘over-season’….. //  And  at times, one wonders if we as a society are stuck in hyper-drive….//    rolling from one good time to the next with almost a desperation…  like people who are playing musical chairs..  frantic not to miss out if the music stops………   rambling in an aimless kind of fashion…. With parties for little or no reason but just to fill the gap…….  Disconnected from the integrated pattern of life and discipleship that we are presented with by Jesus….    Unaware of our absolute need for God, and for forgiveness and for God’s love…….. and replacing it with self-actualisation…. Jesus reminds us that there are parts of his message and God’s will for us that are not all “good times”…..  and none of us have it all together.. so there is a need to, (with God’s loving/ guiding hand to reassure us, heal us, encourage and forgive us)….face the wounded areas, the gaps and the unpleasant parts of our lives…. with courage….

 

As parts of our modern society roll from one party to the next, one busy thing to the next, never daring to pause, lest it sense a gap, something missing….  A void…….. Jesus invites his disciples to be present in life, anchored to the values and actions that are substantial… and can stand up in the still, quiet, calm light of day.

 

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REFERENCES:

·       FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·       Phil Fox Rose