Paul's Reflections Third Sunday of Lent. A.

27th March, 2011      Third Sunday of Lent. A.

 

We have heard this gospel many times before, but, each time I hear it or read it, something new comes up.  This time, it struck me, that Jesus and the woman are initially on about quite different things in their discussion. 

 

There is clearly an ironic misunderstanding on the part of the woman, and an understandable one too….  The woman thinks Jesus is offering her a type of water than will never make one thirsty again, so she naturally says, 'oh yes please, give me this water, so I won't have to keep coming to this well.'  I wonder at what point did she realise that … 'oh, he's speaking spiritually… that is nice, but looks like I will still have to keep coming to this well, though!!''  in any case, she wasn't at all disappointed, because although we all need physical water, and we all need nourishment, people thirst for much more than that to be a whole and fulfilled person. And many who have their fill of food and water are still thirsting for the more lasting things that mean the most!!

 

"The Gospel (this weekend) invites us to meditate today and ponder on all the things for which long and for which we thirst.  There are many things people can thirst for…..  and some are good…  some are not……

Some people seem consumed by thirsting for money, others for power, others for physical relationships and others thirst just to have what they need for the day.  There are countless other thirsts that we humans have.

 

(to paraphrase a different passage of scripture, 'God knows we need the physical necessities of life…..   but)… he also asks, us  to recognize that (in the bigger scheme of things)….only God is worth thirsting for.  Ultimately, life has no other meaning than doing the will of God.  (in the long run)…..  only God matters. (and – of course -  all that is truly good, is of God).

 

Keeping our hearts set on God can happen when we are joyful and living our faith with great joy.  It can also happen when we are sad and suffering.  It can come to pass when we are criticised or maligned…. or when we are praised.  When we live in the Lord we know both how to feast and how to fast.

 

The first reading from the Book of Exodus tells the story of our Israelite ancestors longing and thirsting for water.  They wanted a physical water and it was given to them.  They still turned against God later on.  This tells us that we must always keep our eyes on the Lord so that we seek Him alone and not merely the physical realities of this world. (we also acknowledge how easy it is for us humans to forget the blessings we have received in the past). It is so important for us to remember God's gifts, mercies and help….  (in good times and even moreso in hard times)."  (1)

 

May our good desires and needs be met….   May our gospel-consistent thirsts be satisfied….  And may those that are not be thwarted.. and eventually may any thirst that is not lifegiving or of the gospel, may it cease to draw us….. 

 

Jesus' main desire to give, to serve…to love and to include….   His thirst was to share what he had with the Father with all people….  That is a very generous thirst that was all consuming for him….. It so very inspiring to see that (although we are told in the gospel passage that Jesus was tired and thirsty), his thirst to give people the good news of his Father and to give them a share in his Kingdom was more pressing than his physical needs.  Even when he was thirsty and tired, he couldn't stop speaking of what was even more important than meeting immediate needs.

 

This point is emphasised by the second reading. Jesus loves us so much that he does not do anything for want of repayment or reward. He does not act for the motive of what he can get out of a situation or what he can gain. In fact, St Paul points out that Jesus saved us when we were unworthy and sinful and not warranting any of the things he gave us, but for the fact that God loves and wants to save us and include us. This is wonderful news. May we respond by allowing God's Spirit of Love to be poured deeply into our hearts so that everything we do and say is motivated by a deep inner thirst to share God's love, without concern for repayment.

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

• FR. PAUL W. KELLY
• (1) MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT. ABBOT'S HOMILY.

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections 20th March, 2011 Second Sunday of Lent - A

20th March, 2011      Second Sunday of Lent - A

 

In the gospel, we are told that Jesus shone like pure light…  and the aspect of his face we changed….   

 

In the Old Testament, we hear of Moses’ face shining with light after praying to God.

 

In the case of Jesus,  the transfiguration reveals what was the case all the time, but not always obvious…. That Jesus is truly God and truly human.  And that his glory as God would be revealed again in and through his suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.  It is also important to note that if we are to accept Jesus’ glorification, we must also accept the advice that went along with it… the voice from heaven tells us :  “this is my Son. I am well pleased with him. Listen to him.”  And we must also do what he tells us to do; (to live as he has taught us).

 

In the case of Moses, his shining face is slightly different.. unlike Jesus.. (whose light comes from within… its his inner nature)…  Moses’ shining face is a reflected light.  He radiates the joy and glory of God by reflecting that glory that he himself has experienced in his encounter with God; in his worship of God.

 

Even though these scriptural moments are exceptional and in many ways unique moments…  I truly believe that we Christians can (in a sense)  shine with the light of Christ in us….   We have received the light of Christ at our baptism… we are children of the Light….   We carry the light of Christ to all we meet…. 

 

We are called to shine that light for all to see, so that people can in turn worship God, the source of that light…

 

We have seen, throughout the generations, people whose lives have been truly transfigured by God’s love and grace…. They are people we have known who truly shine with God’s love and graciousness….  People who certainly do seem to radiate God’s love, forgiveness, compassion and kindness….. their faces almost literally shine…

 

And its not just a case of youth or health or good fortune that might be the source of this inner glow.. this radiating love….  I have met.. and I am sure you have too.. people who shine out with God’s love even though age, extreme ill health and misfortune are very much part of their daily lives…  it is nothing short of a miracle.. and it is truly God’s grace that shines out….

 

Sadly, we have probably all come across some who do not radiate this light.. this grace…   (who knows but God what is going on in their lives, perhaps that light is shining brightly deep down and we mere humans can’t see it… but God can always see it.. and kindle it….)…..… but we pray for those we see in this situation, who do not (by their actions, their attitudes, their behaviour) radiate the light and love of Christ to those they meet. Again it is not necessarily related to health or fortune…. There have been some very healthy, fortunate and comfortable people who sadly seem to radiated almost a gloomy, self-focused, almost stingy persona…. / while others whom people think have nothing to be positive about can nevertheless inspire us with such graciousness and care.. that it lights up our day..//      You may have even met a person you knew after many years absence, only to notice that they are now ‘different’  but not always in a good way.. they seem less glowing…   more self-absorbed… more gloomy….  (its almost as thought their journey to wholeness and fullness of personhood that God calls us to… has gone backwards…….)…… (and I am not speaking of those who bravely battle debilitating illness or depression or physical or other conditions)…..   rather…  It’s as though they have gone down the wrong path, perhaps even following a priority or an indulgence that at the time seemed attractive.. only to find (or perhaps not even realise themselves) that it was a dead end…  and  instead of turning back… they seem to pitch their tent and stay there…   almost desperately scratching whatever they can for themselves but radiating grimness/ the light of Christ’s love and service seem hard to fathom….  

 

It is never too late for us to turn back from dead-end paths….  To connect deeply with Christ, the source of our light and joy…..    to turn away from all that is a false source of true and lasting wholeness, joy and fulfilment.

 

May this lent enlighten all of us, so that we may, no matter what our situation, radiate God’s love and light to all …  / May the light of Christ expose all those dark and false areas of our life that absorb us and lead us away from the true source of fulfilment… (which is always God’s love and sacrificing service)…… 

 

After all, this is our calling, this is the gift God gives to us…. And this is our final destiny…  to be with God, in Jesus, who is light from light!!! 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

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

 

 

Paul's Reflections Homily. 1st Sunday of Lent. Cycle A:

Homily. 1st Sunday of Lent.  Cycle A:

The Dead Sea, along the Jordan Valley, not far from where Jesus was Baptised,

and where he then went into the wilderness to fast and pray.

(insert pictures here)

Might Jesus have taken a swim in this Sea, from which one could not drink, but which looks so inviting?

 

Our Lenten journey of Prayer, penance and acts of practical charity and love, has well and truly begun…….    And what better way to begin than with the wonderful scene of Jesus being ‘led by the Spirit’ out into the bleak, uninviting wilderness of the desert for 40 days… where he neither ate not drank…….   When I was in the dead sea it struck me….   I reckon Jesus came and swam here….  Its cool, its relaxing its beautiful….  The waters are inviting… but they are deadly….  You cannot drink it…    we were told…  taste it.. its unbelievable..  so I dipped my finger into the salt water and took the tiniest taste…..     it was like battery acid….  The smallest amount janged away in my mouth so that by the time I got out of the water … I rushed up to me room and washed my mouth out several times…     yecchhhh!!!!!!   One of the few luxuries Jesus probably had was to swim in the waters that Cleopatra once came to for its therapeutic and health qualities…..      but it would not have satisfied any deep thirst or hunger either physically or spiritually…. 

 

The gospel says that Jesus was tempted in three ways….

 

 “These three temptations presented to us in the Gospel today speak of hunger, spirituality and power. 

 

We humans hunger after many things, not just food.  We have all kinds of appetites and Lent is a good time to recognize the appetites that run our lives or are most important in our lives.  For some people, it is the hunger for recognition.  For others, it may be a hunger to be better than others.  Another person may hunger for an emotional relationship.  Some people hunger after money.//   Whatever appetites we have, we are more able to work with them for God’s glory if we recognize them and how they work within us.

 

Spirituality is a wonderful gift for all of us.  On the other hand, we must be sure that it is “Gospel spirituality” and not something else, (something indulgent).  The basic spirituality of the Gospel is loving others and being willing to serve them, even when they reject us or despise us (and even when we get nothing out of it ourselves).  The devil in today’s Gospel is pushing a spirituality of the miraculous.  Surely God will save the Lord.  That is never in question.  But the Lord recognizes that His Father wants Him to act normally and to embrace a normal spirituality.  If God has not given a very special gift to someone, and a gift that is verified by others as being truly of God, then that person should never presume to put God to the test.  …God can do the wonders, but that is a free gift to us at a time and place of God’s initiation and desire, not ours.  When we insist on the miraculous, we misunderstand God.1.

 

And we humans can have the unfortunate habit of constantly wanting God to prove his love, his care and his presence to us…..    many know how a healthy relationship can slowly but surely be chipped away by a person constantly questioning and demanding signs that the other person loves them, and cares for them….  It becomes a form of distrust that pushes the beloved far away…..   we can distance ourselves from God in the same way…..   we need to keep trusting in the truth of God’s closeness to us… and that God only ever wants what is for our good (always)…

 

“To anyone who thinks God is remote and aloof, let them read today's Genesis account of Creation. How close is God? Imagine this: God bends low to the earth and scoops up handfuls of clay. He works the clay, forms it, shapes it, sculpts it into human form. Then, leaning close, he breathes heavily into the nostrils of this clay figure, and this first human comes alive. If you've ever worked in clay you know that it gets on your hands and your fingerprints are all over it. It's perhaps the most intimate art form imaginable. That's how close and connected and intimate God is with all of humanity. His breath still animates us every moment of  our life.” 2.

 

Power is such an illusion and such a temptation.  Jesus tells us that the only real power is the power of love.  The devil offers a different kind of power, the power of dominion.  Dominion is when I insist that you work for my good rather than my looking for your good.  True love is a willing of the good of the other person in preference to my own good.  True love always accepts sacrifices on my part for the good of the other person.  Dominion expects the other person to sacrifice themselves for me. 

 

The first reading, from the Book of Genesis, simply confirms that from the beginning there has been this tension among humans about whether we really want to serve or do we want others, including God, to serve us. 

 

The second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, is clear that the only way to regain the spiritual and moral freedom, (that Adam and Eve had before their fall), is to obey Jesus Christ and live in love.

 

May this Lent help each one of us understand what we must do to love more and to live in Christ.”1.

 

 

 

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<![if !supportLists]>1.     <![endif]>The Monastery of Christ in the Desert Homily for March 9 2011. 1st Sunday of Lent. Abbot Philip. OSB.

<![if !supportLists]>2.     <![endif]>Prepare the Word Resource. “How Close is God” From resources for 13^th March, 2011.

 

 

Paul's Reflections Ash Wednesday 2011 (8/3/2011)

ASH WEDNESDAY -- 

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be at the place in the desert region in what is now the country of Jordan. I saw and touched the Jordan river where John the Baptist was baptizing…. 

And recalled that after Jesus was baptized the voice of his Heavenly Father said… “this is my son, my beloved….  I am well pleased with him… listen to him….”….   so, what did Jesus do next….    He felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness for 40 days…..    probably because the love and favour of God was everything……    if he had that… then fame, fortune, possessions and influence meant nothing……..    and the wilderness… the desert reminded him of his total connection to his Father in heaven, and the need to get reject anything that was not of his Father …..   If people were to listen to him.. he must speak ONLY that which comes from his Father’s will …. His father’s word….. this needed a deep time of preparation and prayer…. And letting go of all but that which lasts…….

The thing about possessions is -  do we really own them?  or do they start owning us……    the more we can possess… the more we start to want….. 

the more we possess… the more we worry about protecting, guarding, fearing losing of things….. it becomes a real catch-twenty two…

someone once told me that there is a psychological principle that it takes about six weeks for a habit to become normal. Lent is a period of six weeks give to the church by God….  As a time of fostering positive habits of prayer, self-denial and giving in time or resources for worthy causes… to build up spiritual health…. and foster habits that are so natural that literally our left hand does not know what our right hand is doing.

I started with a tautology… so I will finish with one….   I read a quote yesterday.. that I believe is true but it is also a bit unfathomable… it said…  “the only things that we actually keep are the things we give away…”…  in one sense that sounds like a nonsensical contradiction…  but God’s thinking is not like human’s so maybe there is something in it….   we only really know we own something, when we are free enough to let go of it…..    or perhaps it means something deeper…… the only things worth possessing are the things that only make sense when given….  they do nothing if stored… like love, given freely without expectation, kindness and forgiveness without expectation of return….    acts of charity not for recognition or approval…..      random acts of kindness that no one will ever know we are the perpetrators of…//  I read a maxim once upholding that there is a odd economic principle associated with love -- the more love you give away, the more love you have.  It defies all other economic principles.

The gospel has a lot of wisdom in it… those things done for no other reason but love of God and not for anything else…   call us to a deep inner movement of the heart towards God because it does not get any other reward but to serve and love God in each other… actions for the glory and praise of God alone…

so, let’s make this time of lent a wonderful, Joyfilled time of self-denial and making space for God… fostering positive habits for the year round….    and may God who has begun this good work in us.. bring it to perfection… in the secret of our own hearts….

Paul's Reflections 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Pre-Lenten message

This weekend, the Weekend prior to Ash Wednesday, the Archbishop has issued his annual Lenten Message.

Lenten

Pastoral Message

 

 

from

 

 

Most Rev John Bathersby DD

Archbishop of Brisbane

 

to

 

the People of the Archdiocese

_____________________

 

To be read at all Masses in the Archdiocese

on the weekend of

5th & 6th March 2011

 

 

 

My dear people,

 

W

e are approaching the great season of Lent provided by the Church to remind us of our faith, and if possible deepen it.  Like Christmas and Easter the Church gives us time to prepare for all its seasons.  Advent prepares us for Christmas, and Lent for Easter.  At the present time the Catholic Church continues to grow throughout the world, its membership now greater than a billion people.  Sadly however, although our numbers grow strongly in Africa and South America they do not always increase in our rather secular Western world.  Pope Benedict XVI is aware of this and has challenged the Catholic Church to seek in every way possible to evangelise Christians who may have drifted away from the Church, or people who have never had the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, communicated through the Church and scripture.  Too often we forget the sheer blessing that God gives us in this precious season of Lent. 

 

I

n the long history of the Church, Lent was introduced by the Council of Nicea in 325, forty days before Easter.  The time chosen seems to have been based on the forty fasting days of Moses, Elijah and especially Jesus. was a time not only of fasting, but also of prayer, and of giving alms to the poor when possible.  Its overall task was to make all of us holy that we can understand and celebrate the feast of Easter that is quickly approaching. of the greatest gifts of Lent is deepening our faith, perhaps by saving money for those people who badly in recent floods, perhaps by giving money to the poor people of the world organised Caritas, perhaps participating in one of the prayer groups e.g. “Heart to Heart” prepared for Lent, or simply celebrating  Mass  more  frequently  than we normally do. 

 

Until we meet God face to face we will have no idea of the precious gift of the Mass that we too often take for granted.  Mass is the re-presentation of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We cannot possibly celebrate Mass attentively without becoming better people because of it.  We meet Jesus in many different ways, but Mass is the supreme meeting place.  We must never take for granted the magnificent gift of the Eucharist that Jesus gave to us before His life, death and resurrection.  In our somewhat secular world today it is so easy to drift away from the faith.  Belief is too precious to be regarded as just a minor part of life. 

 

I

 hope that Lent 2011 will be a special time for all people who love God or are searching for God.  Faith is too good to overlook, as Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come to bring you life and life in its fullness.”  Being faith-filled people doesn’t make us miserable.  It helps us rejoice in life despite the crosses we have to carry.  Please God the Holy Spirit will help us experience fullness of life in Lent, while Mary, the mother of Jesus, will pray in a special way for us at this time so that we can understand her Son even more deeply. 

 

May God bless you all.

 

 

Sincerely in Christ,

 

ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE

 

 

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Extra reflection for the 9^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. From the Abbot of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.

 

The Monastery of Christ in the Desert Homily ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     9th Sunday of Ordinary Time

     Cycle A

     2011

 

 

FIRST READING

Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32 11:18, 26-28, 32

 

Moses told the people:  “Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.

 Bind them at your wrist as a sign, and let them be a pendant on your forehead.  “I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:  a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on you today; a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today, to follow other gods, whom you have not known.”

 

 

SECOND READING

Romans 3:21-25, 28

 

Brothers and sisters, now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.  They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood.  For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

 

 

GOSPEL  Cycle A

Matthew 7:21-27

 

Jesus said to his disciples:  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’

will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?  Did we not drive out demons in your name?  Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’  Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’  “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.  And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

 

 

My sisters and brothers in Christ,

 

There is a contrast given to us today between the person who takes the word of God into his or her heart and soul and acts on it and the person who simply speaks the word of God but does not live it.  In our hearts there is the struggle to do God’s word faithfully. 

 

The first reading today, from the Book of Deuteronomy, puts so eloquently what God wants of us:  Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.

The author of this book goes on to give us some tips about how to remember these words so that we can take them into our heart and soul.  He tells us to bind them on our wrists and put them on our foreheads.  In our present day secular culture, people often put notes on their computers or on their doors or on their mirrors.  This reading raises in us the question of how we try to remember the word of God and bring it fully into our hearts and our souls.

 

The Letter to the Romans, from which comes our second reading, puts its focus on faith:  we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.  We could ask a question very similar to one that Jesus poses elsewhere:  who has faith?  The one who does the works of faith or the one who only speaks about it?

 

The Gospel of Matthew today also poses this same question about belief.

The Gospel tells us that doing mighty works is not enough.  Even doing mighty works in the name of the Lord is not enough.  We must believe from our heart and soul.

 

So today we are invited to become followers of Christ in a totally committed way, both believing and doing.  Doing, by itself, is no good.

Believing without acting on the belief is not belief.  Let us believe and do!

 

 

Your brother in the Lord,

Abbot Philip, OSB

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Paul's Reflections 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 27th February, 2011

8th  Sunday  in  Ordinary  Time Year  A -      27th  February, 2011

 

The readings this weekend are about God’s faithful love and companionship with us, through good times and bad. 

 

At times we may be tempted to wonder if God is with us, but God assures us that he is faithful and loving to us and will never, ever, abandon us or forget us.

 

As I return from the Holy Land Pilgrimage, I can imagine the scenes of nature that Jesus would have walked around in and preached in.

 

 The Sea of Galilee with abundant fish, the sweet water,  the rolling hills, the beautiful olive trees, the many different types of crop and flower. This really is the milk and honey, and so is our own country, even despite the terrible natural disasters that befall various communities at times. But even then, God’s grace inspires people to support and heal and strengthen each other in times of difficulty

In our daily lives, in the events and people of our daily lives, and in the beauty of creation, we know that God is with us and desiring only what is good for us.

 

May we continue to put our hope and trust in God alwys.

 

Paul's Reflections Homily. Seventh Week Ordinary time, Year A. 20th Feb, 2011

Greetings to everyone back home in Australia. I am presently in the Holy City of Jerusalem and having an amazing time on this uncredible pilgrimage. As i had expected, these familiar places from the Bible have come alive for us in new and amazing ways. Just the topography of these locations (which famous city is on a hill and which is on a dale, how close they are from eachother, how much it looks possibly the same as in Jesus' time, how much it has changed). It has all been extraordinary.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers and as we celebrated masses in the different holy places, i have keep you and your intentions in my heart and prayers.

In the light of this journey I can picture Our Lord sitting and teaching the people about his message and the landscape in which his maessage is being given.

Our Lord is continuing his teaching, encouraging us in his way which is very, very different from the thinking of this world.

We can still think that God wants a piano to fall from the skies on al who have done wrong, (except when we ourselves do wrong, and then we hope and pray for mercy) and we expect that good people will be vindicated in this life, not just the next. This sounds fair enough, and this is how it often works in the movies, the bad guys get what's coming and the good guys get rewarded. But, we know that in real life this does not always happen. Its not the pre-ordained way things work. So, Jesus offers us a different way and it gives us a deep insight into the all-inclusive love of God for all people. God unconditionally loves all people and wants them to live in God's loving ways. And so Jesus says:
'(may you truly) be children
of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those
who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do
the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly
Father is perfect''

this is challening stuff! Jesus wants his disciples to love as God loves and not respond in kind to the selfishness, self-interest and hatred of others. God means to break the cycle of revenge, or the cycle of only favouring those who can help us.

God challenges us to act from within, (tapping into God's love), and not respond from outside (with its cycle of hurt). The world would be a great place if all people's actions flowed out of how much we can give, rather than reacting to what we have gotten, or not gotten. May Jesus lead us in his radical ways.

From Fr Paul (in Galilee)

--
please reply emails to

holyjoe@ozemail.com.au

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

Paul's Reflections 13th February, 2011 6th Sunday of Year - A

13th February, 2011      6th Sunday of Year - A

 

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

 

 

Today’s Gospel is summed up beautifully in this quote from British writer, Michael Green: “(God’s) Law is not the limit of obedience; it is to be seen rather as the springboard for a life of devotion to Jesus and his Father. It is the curbing along the road of love.”1.

 

The law is never meant to be the end in itself, but rather an expression or distillation of the values that it seeks to promote and protect. When people focus on the letter of the law they are really losing sight of the forest for the trees, and losing the point.

 

Jesus was warning the Pharisees that this is exactly what they have ended up doing. They need to go deeper into the meaning and Spirit behind the law or become irrelevant.

 

All of the readings this weekend are really excellent and very key scripture passages.  The first reading speaks of freedom that God give us. We have true, adult freedom given to us by God. This freedom is real and extensive.  The key to understanding this freedom is that it is a freedom to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbour as ourself.  If is a freedom to love as God loves and as God wants us to be.

 

God’s wise saying to us in the first reading is quite powerful. It is, in some ways, as if God is speaking to us, asking us to be adults, but aware that our choices and behaviours can resemble that of children who do not fully understand the responsibility that comes with freedom.  God says, ‘Of course I have given you true freedom. You are free to touch the cool water.. it will feel cool….  And you are free to touch your hand to the flame,,.. but beware… it will still burn you. So choose wisely..  choose the good… avoid the harmful. Use your freedom to choose life and God’s ways.

 

The second reading flows nicely from this. In order to exercise our freedom, we need to develop the wisdom of God. We need to see and think the way God thinks and not merely in human terms and with human wisdom.  We have to exercise our thinking and choices and freedom with the otherworldly ways of God.

 

The Scriptures say: “Train me to keep your commandments and keep it with my heart.” This is a reminder that what we are called to be is more like athletes who have it in them to perform their best, but only after training in the ways that allow them to reach the pinnacle. Not everything that we are called to do comes naturally or easily, just as a top athlete or a top musician need to train and practice in order to reach their best. We need to be open to be trained by God in God’s ways that are different from our natural ways of thinking and doing.

 

And finally, the gospel then has Jesus saying to us… “GO DEEPER!!”  Don’t just stay on the surface.  Jesus is calling adult, free loving people to be his disciples.  He is therefore calling us to act as adult disciples and go deeper into the core of his message and values. He wants us to learn the meaning of God’s law and not merely its outward expression or its legalistic strictures.

 

Again, the analogy of child and adult could be helpful here:   When young children are learning about what they should do and not do, parents often teach them that they should “do some things and not do others.” If a child asks “why”, they are sometimes (understandably) told, ‘because I told you.” They may not always be old enough to understand the subtleties of why some things are good and some things are dangerous… and so, simple answers and explanations suffice… until they grow older to understand the principles and values behind these things.

 

But as we grow older, we don’t just stay in the child-like understanding of what we should do and not do….; (with a list of do’s and don’ts and rules and regulations). We begin developing the wisdom to discern the inner values behind the rules and regulations and applying ourselves to that.  At times it allows us to keep the rules to the letter… and at other times it gives us the wisdom to disregard the letter of a law so as to actually respect the principle behind it!. But this is something we do very carefully and after a lot of discernment and caution.

Jesus is inviting his disciples and the Pharisees and all who listen, to an adult relationship with God, which doesn’t just settle for the outward shell of observance, but rather dives deeply into the full meaning of being a loving disciple who lives out the reality of their true membership as a son or a daughter of God.  

 

So, it is not good enough merely to keep the commandments by ‘not killing anyone’ because we also must strive not to have anger and hatred against our brother or sister too. It is not sufficient to say “I have never actually been unfaithful” when it is possible to break the spirit of this command by living a life of disrespect in the way one looks at or de-personalises, or  to speaks or treats others.  It is not good enough to do everything in the ‘name of Jesus’ if our ordinary everyday ‘yes’ is not reliable, or our ‘no’  does not mean what it says.

 

And, even more challenging; the readings today remind us that we should never blame God for our own failings:  “Do not say it is the Lord’s doing that I fell away.”  These are merely excuses and failure to take adult, free, Christian responsibility. We are reminded quite sharply by this weekend’s scriptures: The Lord never gave people permission to sin or to ignore his laws. Yes, God has given us true freedom, but this is a freedom to live God’s law and to act responsibly.

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·        1. My Daily Visitor, Feb 13, 2011. (Our Sunday Visitor).

·        Break Open the Word. 2011.

 

 

Paul's Reflections 5th Sunday of the Year - A. 6th February, 2011

6th February, 2011      5th Sunday of the Year - A

 

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The image of ‘salt of the earth’ is a very good. In Jesus’ day, salt was a very previous commodity. It was valuable and useful. It was considered the purest thing you could get, because it was a product of only Sea and Sun. It was considered worthy to offer with sacrifices because of its purity and value. What seems to be suggested here is ‘purity’ in the broadest sense of people who don’t let their standards drop in relation to their high standard of work, their standard of honesty, speech,, behaviour and morality.(*)

 

Salt was also considered one of the best preservatives; it would keep things from going bad.(*)

 

And of course, salt adds flavour to food, which would otherwise be bland and tasteless…(*)

 

So, the Christian, by the life and their attitudes and actions is to be someone who doesn’t lower their standards, who preserves all that is best in the community, and who adds flavour to life and to the community.   This is very beautiful.  

 

So, this weekend’s readings remind us that we are called to be a positive example and a good influence in the world.

 

The first reading is really quite wonderful. It is an excellent answer to the constant question of the Christian disciple:  “Lord, what must we do?”

The answer is very practical: “Your light will shine when you give food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, clothe the naked, support our family, unburden the oppressed, act justly and speak lovingly.” Christ’s light will shine whenever we act with mercy, kindness, compassion, and with justice and practical charity.”

 

This is how we are to let our light shine….

This is how we can “love tenderly, act justly and walk humbly with our God” – in these very practical ways!

 

And, in the second reading we again see the instruction that it is essential that we put our hope and dependence on God and not merely our own human willpower and strength.

 

The last part of the Gospel gives us a refreshing reference point for our behaviour.  It can help us re-focus on what motivates our actions and words:   We ARE called to be an example and an influence in society. We should not feel shy about this, but we should also be aware that it’s not from our own worthiness or ability, but completely from God’s graciousness and love. We are called upon to do good works and not hide our talents and abilities,  but always with this condition: We are called to do good works in order that God will receive the glory and the praise.  So, if the good that we do, does not lead to a greater appreciation, praise and worship of God, and if the good we do leads to us gaining more and more credit and praise and attention, then we haven’t got it quite right. Everything we do is directed to turning our minds and hearts and those around us towards Jesus Christ the Lord:  The true source of love, grace and compassion: 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

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

 

 

Paul's Reflections 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. YEAR A. 30th January, 2011

30th January, 2011      4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. YEAR A

 

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The Beatitudes are a key part of Our Lord’s teaching and vision. 

 

The wording and the setting of this teaching indicate how absolutely solemn and serious this passage is. 

 

The start of the section has a rather awkward but quite deliberate sentence:  (using an older, more literal translation…….. “Seeing his disciples, Jesus went up the mountain. Then he sat down and opened his mouth and said to them…..”

 

The biblical commentator William Barclay tells us that what Jesus is about to say is an extremely solemn and significant pronouncement.  Rabbis sat when teaching.  On other occasions, when speaking less formally they would walk and talk, but when they really had a formal and official pronouncement and teaching to give, it was seated. The mountain represents the revelation of God. And ‘opening one’s mouth’ is not just a strange saying… this terminology was used in the most solemn and serious of pronouncements, such as when God opened his mouth and poured forth the contents of his heart…    what is about to follow is the core message of Jesus’ teaching….    And it is very serious….

 

And what he teaches them… is the Beatitudes.

 

They are both comforting and jarring, (at the same time).

 

It seems strange to say to people:  “happy are you who are poor!  Happy are you who are mourning!!!”…  In a world that desires happiness above all other things, and that which brings happiness is to be desired and sought after with all one’s will….   There is NO WAY that anyone is going to desire or strive after poverty, sadness, injustice and persecution.

 

Other translations use the words “blessed are you”  instead of “happy are you.”

 

In any case…

 

And it appears that the word used for “poor” doesn’t just mean a person who has very little.. the Greek word means “a person who is completely destitute, and without anything.”

 

 

What seems to be meant here, is that Jesus is offering us blessing and joy and peace… a peace that the people and events and the shallow promises of this world and the tragedies of this world cannot touch…and cannot match….//   no matter what happens… // the faithful disciple will never lose the inner blessing that God is offering them….  

 

It can be translated as “Oh, the utter bliss of the one who has realised their utter helplessness…  their complete poverty…. And who has put their WHOLE trust and all their hope in God alone….   For they have realised that only in doing this, can they give God that total dependence and obedience that will make them a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.  ..

 

Oh, the irremovable joy of the one who is so poor that they are detached from all things…   for they KNOW from bitter experience, that material things do not have it in them to btinh happiness or security …  and so he become attached to God alone.. and to God’s kingdom which will never tarnish or pass away…[i]

 

Interestingly. Commentator William Barclay also says that the language used of this teaching indicates that “Jesus used to teach the disciples in this way. “  So, this sermon on the mount is not the first time or the last time Jesus would speak on this… It was more like the content of his regular and constant teaching.. it was a distillation of his key message.

 

“Oh, the blessings upon the one who mourns…  like who who mourns for the dead…   who cries out in utter devestation….. and with nothing but hope…. For lost loved ones..  for the suffering of others… and who sorrows for their sinfulness like someone who weeps in utter loss….  They will receive God’s comfort… their sorrow can be comforted by nothing less than God’s own love…”.  

 

And so on these beautiful beatitudes go… //   we could spend a lifetime reflecting upon their meaning…  

 

These teachings are not telling us to put up with our lot …  rather they give hope to all who are struggling.

 

Jesus is telling us where God’s heart is, and where God’s priorities are. God’s concern is for the poor, the struggling, the sorrowful, the meek, those struggling to support, free and forgive.

 

Also, Jesus is saying:  take heart. Those who are in these predicaments are very dear to God’s heart.  Those who are like this, have the openness and dependence on God that is needed to be able to inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

The situation people is in is terrible…  but the reliance and trust in God; the openness to God and to everyone is what Jesus asks of all……  (whether they be well-off or not……..  whether they are happy or sad…)… 

 

It is as though there is an implicit.. ‘woe to you’  in these words of Matthews Gospel….., (where, by contrast, Luke’s gospel spells them out explicitly, and literally) . By converse……Matthew only implies…  but surely they are there as the flipside of this teaching……..“woe to” those who are the cause of this grief and hardship described here…. //…  and woe to those whose hearts are so closed that they can’t see the real plight of those who are their brothers and sisters around them and who don’t act to do something about it.  Their “closed-ness” and (ironically)…their fortune can be a barrier to them seeing and acting….   and trusting in the Lord utterly, as is a pre-requisite for membership in the Kingdom.  They must be on their guard.

 

 

REFERENCES:

·        The historical, cultural and language insights into this weekend’s gospel have been very helpfully found in: THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

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Paul's Reflections Third Sunday of the Year - A. 23rd January, 2011

23rd  January, 2011      Third Sunday of the Year - A.

 

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In our prayers this weekend, we pray for the full recovery to health of Brian Lourigan who is very seriously ill in hospital in Brisbane…  (Brian is husband of Wendy Lourigan and father of Danny and his wife Chrissie), and families…

 

We  pray for the repose of the soul of Ruby Taylor, (late of Groundwater Lodge). Ruby is the mother of parishioner: Ashley taylor… and also the repose of the soul of Jane McKay, (late of Fairhaven) and also Jean Sheffield (late of Granville)> May they now be enjoying eternal rest in God’s house…

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“the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light! On those who live in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone.” 

 

This is a most beautiful and moving passage.  It brings hope and renewal to all who are burdened with pain, suffering, injustice, lack of the basics for living….  It brings hope and strength……

 

Christ is our foundations stone,  Christ is our hope and our light in times of darkness..   Christ is our source of unity.

 

Being followers of Christ, as St Paul points out,  is a personal and community based relationship with Jesus Christ. Our discipleship is about (first and foremost) not slogans and charismatic leaders, or even programmes, but it is about the person and values and message of Jesus.  

 

Our following of Jesus is about the complex, real and deep message of Jesus.  It is not (merely) about paraphrased. Generalised or watered down or generally held popular views of what Jesus is about.  Rather, it’s an ongoing journey of discover and deepening our understanding and relationship with the Person of Jesus, and who he is and who he calls us to be.

 

As Christians and even as good citizens of the community, we have to be wary of all kinds of catchphrases and slogans and clichés and simplistic assessments of who Jesus is.  In some way, we need to have a clear idea of who Jesus is and what he is on about, but a lot of damage can be done to neutralise his message if we buy-in too deeply to generalisations and ‘glosses’. For example, if a person were to ask us “ what is Jesus message, “  we could reply…  Jesus basically came to tell us to love one another and love God.

 

That is true, but then we have to ask ourselves, what do we mean by love in the context of who he is, his message, his values and teachings.   If by love we mean letting everyone do what they want and never challenging or inviting people to go deeper, then I think we have settled for a ‘clichéd’ definition of both the word love and also a cliché of who God is.

 

One of the biggest fears I have, and it has been borne out on various occasions in dialogue with people who are not necessarily Christian but who have a strong idea of what Christians should do and who they are and how they should act. I have frequently added the qualifying statement…   ‘we are called to love, as Jesus Loved. Jesus was not a doormat for everyone to walk over and take advantage of. His definition of love and acting by love does not mean licence to do whatever one wants and letting people do and be and say whatever moves them.  Jesus was no doormat, and neither should his followers be.  

 

“I thought you guys were supposed to be Christians. I thought you guys are supposed to love.”   One hears that kind of thing from time to time, (usually said by someone who did not get what they expected or demanded).  Parents hear that kind of statement a lot, I suspect, from children who have yet to learn that sometimes saying ‘no’ is the most loving thing a person can do. 

 

Fortunately it is not other people who will judge whether we have loved as Jesus does… it is Jesus himself.  He was regularly criticised for doing and saying and teaching things that did not (in others opinions) match up with the religious definition of faithful, obedient or loving, but (as we know all too well) who were they to tell God the Son how he should be faithful to his Heavenly Father. They were the ones who just didn’t get it and sadly never would!!! Jesus would (at times) get very distressed and at times exasperated and even angry when people (by their actions)  violated the inner point and values of God’s kingdom, and then justified it with false beliefs that they were just doing God’s will and being obedient to God’s law and God’s desire.  Jesus did what God desired, we don’t always do that.

 

Only those who watched, listened and learnt from Jesus and stayed very close to him and absorbed his values, would truly understand why he said and did and refrained from doing what he did in his lifetime. 

 

It is possible to call oneself a Christian all one’s life and yet not really ever come to know the person, meaning, value and priorities of Jesus.  It is shocking but true. If that is so, though, they are Christian in name but not fact. Or to be more precise, they are living without fully realising the fullness of their status as a beloved child of God and brother or sister of Jesus, the beloved son of the heavenly father.

 

Whilst God does not grant us pure license in this world….  He nevertheless gives us the gift of true freedom….  Freedom to become what God intends for us.. to be a free, loved, full member of God’s family….   It is so sad to witness, (far too often),  incidents when we accept the words of this promise but don’t act on them…..   when we say we believe in God as an unconditionally loving parent, and then act as if God is a parent who can never be satisfied with us, who is ready to punish and find fault in our every action…..    We proclaim that God sees with the heart, not purely external appearances.. but we can be enslaved by living up to appearances and worried that our actions might be judged more strongly than our hearts….  And we respond in ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’ instead of from the heart with a true regard for what is really best for us and for others.

 

The teachings and practices of the Church are helpful to us to pinpoint key aspects of Jesus’ values, teachings and actions. They flow from who Jesus is and what he does. At the same time, we must strive to come to a more deeper understanding of Jesus and a person and the values and principles that all flow from who he is and what he was called to do. 

 

Jesus called his disciples and they left everything to follow him.  Not many of us have taken this call so literally that we have left behind everything : home, family, possessions, job, and so on….   (everything!)  in order to faithfully follow this most amazing teacher (who, himself had no particular place to call his ‘home’).  However, we are all called to leave behind anything that holds us back from following Jesus and responding to the demands of our discipleship of Christ, in our lives and in our actions.

 

This includes letting go of any restrictive and narrow views of who Jesus is and what his vision is for us and the world… 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY