Paul's Reflections 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A. 29th May, 2011

29th May, 2011      6th Sunday of Easter, Year A

I ask if the collectors can take up the ordinary first collection now… as we have a special third collection this weekend,

The collection going round now is our ordinary one in support of the upkeep of priests in ministry throughout the archdiocese…. 

The special collection (at the gifts time) is in support of the Retired and Sick Priests foundation.. // after many years of dedication and care our retired and ill priests need the support of the catholic community..//there are brochures available around the church//…..   Donations over $2 are tax deductible//  Any support you can give is gratefully accepted.

 

If you didn’t come prepared and would like to donate…., please take an envelope home and consider anything you may be able to give.. thanks…..   As I say, the special collection will be at the offertory time…   and then after communion the ordinary collection will be taken up for the running expenses of this parish….   

Apologies for visitors and families who may be surprised by the two or three collections at mass..  but they are for different aspects of the church’s mission, and of course..   no pressure is intended…  people are invited to give to any or all of the collections if you are able…..…  

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The readings this weekend, are again perfect for our young one’s who are preparing to receive their confirmation…. And first holy communion….  They speak of the early church communities forming just after Jesus returned to his Heavenly Father…   and had sent the holy Spirit to the apostles and to the church….    Did you notice in the first reading how it says…. 

 

That is just like the order we are now used to…   the people had already been baptised, and now the apostles did that ancient sign of laying on of hands and prayed.. and then the Holy Spirit came down upon them…

//   wonderful!!! // 

And notice, in the gospel.. Jesus speaks about sending the Holy Spirit upon his followers…   the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth…  the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and makes us sons and daughters of God… and joins us to God.. so that we are in communion.. in union with God and with one another..  what a special gift…. 

 

The presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in our church is absolutely vital.  Without the Holy Spirit of God, as we have been learning, we cannot do anything…. 

 

This truth was known right from the beginnings of the Church two thousand years ago… and so… the ancient greeting the early Christian communities gave to eachother reflected the presence and the truth of the Holy Spirit in their lives…  the priest or bishop would say “the Lord be with you”  and the people would reply.. “and with your Spirit”.,,,   this was a recognition and acknowledgement that the Spirit was present in us….    Rather fittingly.. the church is imminently about to go back to this ancient saying….    It actually never changed.. the English response we have been using for the last forty years…  the words.. “and also with you”  is actually a very loose translation and paraphrase of the latin master-edition of the Mass….    And Rome and the local bishops have decided that this translation does not capture sufficiently the recognition of the Holy Sprit, who is SO necessary for the life of the church.. so soon…  not yet.. but very (very) soon.. we will all be returning to the ancient words that say so much!!!

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I call forward to receive your sashes, the young people who are preparing to receive next weekend, their confirmation and first Holy Communion.

 

(give out sashes)

 

Let us pray…..

My friends… we give you this sash today to remind you of two things…

 

In your Baptism, your parents clothed you in a WHITE baptismal garment to remind you that (in Baptism) you have “put in Jesus Christ… and that you have clothed yourself in Jesus” (and YOU HAVE BEEN CLOTHED IN JESUS’ special message of love)….

May this sash remind you that (as Baptised Christians) Jesus is always with YOU to help YOU live his good news message.

 

THIS sash is RED.. to remind us of the fire of the holy spirit that came down upon the disciples at Pentecost….   In confirmation, you will have the gifts of the Spirit confirmed in you, to help you live as Jesus taught us… by loving, God loving your neighbour and showing love and care to yourself as well…

 

Lord Bless these sashes… may they remind us that we belong to you and you love us and care for us always…….

 

Bless these young people preparing for their confirmation and first holy communion as their time of preparation nears completion……  We make this prayer in the name of the + father, and of the son and of the holy Spirit.,

 

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REFERENCES:

 

FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

 

 

Paul's Reflections 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A. 22nd May, 2011

22nd May, 2011      5th Sunday of Easter, Year A

 

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The preparation for Confirmation and First communion of our young candidates is coming along very nicely.  Once more in the preparation session, the good questions and answers are flowing…

 

The readings this weekend are rather handy…  we have been speaking to the children about how the church can do nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit activating and giving effect to everything we do.  We cannot live as disciples of Jesus without the Holy Spirit living in us….  We received the Holy Spirit in Baptism… and we get special gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation…..   

 

The students have been watching for the special sign that the church uses to show that we are praying for the Holy Spirit to come down and give effect to what we are doing… It’s called the “laying of hands” and its seen in each sacrament. In this case the priest lays his hands over the gifts of bread and wine and says word such as “Therefore, O Lord, we pray: may this same Holy Spirit graciously sanctify these offerings,

the Body and + Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ,”  (as it says in the new translation of Eucharistic prayer iv which I will be using for the first time this weekend).

 

Notice in the first reading we heard today, it was about the Apostles, realising there was a need for special people to help the widows and the poor, and so they prayed to the Holy Spirit and called Stephen and other disciples to the special task of serving;  in the role we now call the Holy Order of Deacons, and the reading says…….the apostles prayed and then “laid their hands on them”, which shows the giving of the Holy Spirit for them in their special job.  See how this important sign was in the church right from the beginning two thousand years ago.

 

And in the second reading we see how God has set all of us apart to do his work in the world…   to be a royal people blessed and called to praise God and do his will.   And that, we are like living building blocks; and God is building us up to be a “spiritual house of God”…   a church, made (not of stones), but of living people… you and me….. in the world and filled with God’s Spirit, doing good work for God.  

The second reading says…  you are called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light…  In baptism we received the light of Christ….  And we became sons and daughters of the light…    with God’s Spirit living in us…  in confirmation we remember our baptism.. so that is why we feature the baptismal candle… which our candidates have brought with them today.. for a blessing….    Which we will now do.

 

(bless candles)

 

 Blessing of candles:

 

I call forward the young people who are preparing to receive their confirmation and First Holy communion…

 

Please come forward to HAVE YOUR BAPTISMAL  candle BLESSED….

 

 

Let us pray….

My friends…   this candle was given to you as a reminder of your Baptism…..   when you were Baptised, your parents were handed a special candle.. your baptismal candle, and the priest said as he gave them the candle to hold…

“Receive the light of Christ…

Parents and godparents.. this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly.. it is the light of faith that your child has received.. keep that flame alive in their hearts… always growing stronger..

 

This candle reminds us that in your Baptism, you became a child of God… and a light of Christ in the world…..   you are now preparing for confirmation.. where we seal and affirm that light you received in Baptism… and also first communion, where the light of Christ in you will be strengthened… by Jesus who comes to us in the bread broken and the cup poured out for us…

 

Lord… bless these young people and help them be a light of Jesus' love to all they meet….

 

We ask this in the name of the + Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit amen.

 

My friends…   let's congratulate these lights of Christ amongst us….

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

Paul's Reflections EASTER WEEK FOUR. YEAR A. 15TH MAY, 2011.

EASTER WEEK FOUR. YEAR A.   15^TH MAY, 2011.

 

This weekend at the different masses, we have our young ones who have begun their preparation to receive their Confirmation and first holy communion …..  

 

this Gospel we heard today is very special because it shows us that we are all friends of Jesus….  He is our Good shepherd and he walks along with us along our whole life journey… He knows us by name….  he leads us by safe paths….  He cares about what happens to us……   He is always interested to hear us tell him of our hopes, our fears… our disappointments and our failures… and he is there to reassure us and give us strength and to assure us that if we keep trusting in him, the love of God has the final word in our life….    and that last word is the promise that we are beloved sons and daughters of God….   forever …..

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

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

 

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

 

Traditionally, the church sees that there are seven gifts of the holy spirit, and the young ones preparing for confirmation and first holy communion are learning about them: (in fact…   the answers given in our first class last Wednesday night was very inspiring…..  because the young people (in their answers to questions) reminded us that there are actually more than seven gifts that the Spirit gives us…  In fact….., God gives us the gifts we need to be good friends and disciples of Jesus…..    and the seven traditional gifts of the Spirit are the core of those gifts……  

the Spirit gives the gift of : 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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(extra): 

This weekend, the gospel speaks of the image of the Sheepfold: That they may have life and have it to the full. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.  Christ’s offering of his whole self and even his life (down to the very last drop of his blood) is remembered by us at each and every Eucharist. In our Liturgy we constantly speak of this mysterious thing called the “Paschal Mystery”, which is actually about the mystery of Jesus’ life, suffering, death and Resurrection- All for the salvation of  people.  In every Eucharistic prayer, this Paschal Mystery is recalled and remembered. The word used for this remembering and for this living memorial sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, is the rather daunting Greek word: “anamnesis”, (which is a word that means …: “remembering”).

 

This weekend I will be using the new Eucharistic Prayer of Reconciliation  I. 

 

I have been speaking in the newsletter and in homily reflections about the new missal……. And its implementation…  (there is an extensive new and updated section on our parish website…    which is noted on the front page of the newsletter….  www.marycatholic.com..... Esp:  http://www.parishes.bne.catholic.net.au/maryborough/missal.htm . 

 

It explains in detail the changes and their history of development. It also has an extensive glossary of words and their meaning…..

 

Interestingly….  some of the changes turn out to be more corrections …  Since the introduction of the post Vatican II updated Latin version of the 1969 missal, we have been using the English translation of that Missal, for the last 41 years.  The new translation is actually a more strict translation of what was virtually all there in the Latin text of 1969. ….   They have simply gone back and translated what was already there! …   in a close translation rather than some paraphrasing that occurred in the previous version…..   As we mentioned in previous weeks, some of the language might be different in this new translation, such as the prayer to the Father that he will “spur us on to possess a more abundant life.”  But, really, this and many other sentences are really beautiful.   That sentence is is a beautiful and active request of God and it is at the heart of what we seek: that God will encourage us and inspire us and keep us going….  /…. May God “spur us on to possess a more abundant life” …. //.

 

Christ came to reconcile us to God and to one another. This is a major part of his mission. This Eucharistic prayer, (but also all the Eucharistic Prayers) touch upon this.

 

The beauty and the mystery of the Mass is that it is not just a meal of fellowship and unity, it is also,  (in a very powerful way),  a “Sacrifice”; Eucharist is the re-presentation of the once-and-for-all Sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

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Paul's Reflections Easter Two. Year a. 2011

Second Sunday of Easter, Year A. 2011.

 

(Fr Angelo will be celebrating the 6pm Saturday and the 8am Sunday masses this weekend. I will be celebrating the 10am Tiaro mass and several Baptisms and two weddings). So it’s a wonderful, busy week of celebrations.

 

This weekend, there are a lot of things happening in the Easter season, in the church and in the wider secular community..  These things all find a place in our prayers and thoughts..

 

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday, where we recall the absolute mercy and love that Jesus has for all humanity.   This same Sunday is the day the Pope will declare the late Pope John Paul II “blessed”  - the first formal step towards canonisation.  In addition, it’s the labour day long weekend, where we give thanks for all workers and pray that their dignity and conditions will be respected and humane and dignified.

 

Also,

Over the next few weeks I will be preaching about the new Missal for the celebration of Mass in the Catholic church. Particularly the new English translation that is soon to come into effect, and its connections to our faith and practice… 

As you probably know, usually the homily is to be taken from the readings of the day or, as the Vatican II documents and subsequent liturgical documents also stress, homilies can also be based on the prayers and texts of the mass for that day.  This is most fitting at this time when the translation of those texts is about to change.

Second Sunday of Easter

 

In the readings this weekend we see the scene of the encounter between the  Risen Christ and Thomas: (Jesus) “breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit in the life of the church is absolutely vital. Without the Holy Spirit falling upon the church and falling upon us, everything we do would be ineffective.  The gift of the Holy Spirit  “falls upon us like the dewfall”  (which is a phrase that captures the image of the manna falling from heaven and lightly coating the ground in order to give nourishment to the people of Israel when they were journeying through the desert, with Moses leading them.  In the coming weeks we are going to be introduced to the new ROMAN MISSAL. this is a new and authorised translation of the mass. If you look at the Eucharistic prayers of both the new mass and, in fact, the present mass too, you can see that each Eucharistic Prayer always features the invocation (or ‘calling down’) of the Holy Spirit on the gifts and on the gathered Church (this is called by the Greek word: epiclesis).  Have a look at Eucharistic Prayer II and notice the role of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharistic Prayer.  In the new translation, this role of the Spirit is highlighted. (Notice the new image of the dewfall as I mentioned before).

 

Newsletter:  An outline of the structure of the Eucharistic Prayer (GIRM 79).

 

Paragraph 79 of the New Instruction on the Roman Missal says the following, relating to the structure of the Eucharistic Prayers:

 

The chief elements making up the Eucharistic Prayer may be distinguished

in this way:

a. Thanksgiving (expressed especially in the Preface): in which the priest, in

the name of the entire holy people, glorifies God the Father and gives thanks

for the whole work of salvation or for some special aspect of it that

corresponds to the day, festivity, or season.

 

b. Acclamation: in which the whole congregation, joining with the heavenly

powers, sings the Sanctus (also known as the “holy, Holy”). This acclamation, which is part of the Eucharistic Prayer itself, is sung or said by all the people with the priest.

 

c. Epiclesis (a Greek word for “calling down from on high”) : in which, by means of particular invocations, the Church implores

the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be

consecrated, that is, become Christ’s Body and Blood, and that the spotless

Victim to be received in Communion be for the salvation of those who will

partake of it.

 

d. Institution narrative and consecration: in which, by means of words and

actions of Christ, the Sacrifice is carried out which Christ himself instituted

at the Last Supper, when he offered his Body and Blood under the species

of bread and wine, gave them to his Apostles to eat and drink, and left them

the command to perpetuate this same mystery.

 

e. “Anamnesis” (A Greek word for “Remembering”): in which the Church, fulfilling the command that she received

from Christ the Lord through the Apostles, keeps the memorial of Christ,

recalling especially his blessed Passion, glorious Resurrection, and Ascension

into heaven.

 

f. Offering: by which, in this very memorial, the Church - and in particular

the Church here and now gathered - offers in the Holy Spirit the

spotless Victim to the Father. The Church’s intention, however, is that

the faithful not only offer this spotless Victim but also learn to offer

themselves,71 and so day by day to be consummated, through Christ the

Mediator, into unity with God and with each other, so that at last God may be all in all.72

 

g. Intercessions: by which expression is given to the fact that the Eucharist is

celebrated in communion with the entire Church, of heaven as well as of

earth, and that the offering is made for her and for all her members, living

and dead, who have been called to participate in the redemption and the

salvation purchased by Christ’s Body and Blood.

 

h. Final doxology (a Greek word meaning “giving glory and praise”) : by which the glorification of God is expressed and which is

confirmed and concluded by the people’s acclamation: Amen.

 

 

In the end, the new translation of the Mass texts keeps faithful to this ancient structure and re-translates the texts from the original latin prototype edition faithfully and literally… so that no matter what language we are celebrating mass in…   throughout the world, we will all be joined with one voice praising, thanking, remembering and offering ourselves to the perfect offering of Christ in the Eucharist.    For the greater glory of God and the coming of his Kingdom..

 

Paul's Reflections Fourth Sunday of Lent. A. / 3rd April, 2011 /

3rd April, 2011      Fourth Sunday of Lent. A

 

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This gospel of the cure of the blind man and the extraordinary response of the religious authorities around Jesus, is really quite a delightful and intriguing chapter.

 

The blind man is initially unsure what is happening, but he is sure of one thing, whatever people are making of his situation…   ‘he was blind and now he can see.”   The same cannot be said (spiritually) for the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, who really ought to know better but choose not to.

 

There is a lot of movement in this story…   there are people coming and going in this drama….   Jesus walks past the blind man, who received this free gift of sight apparently without even asking for it…  but he is certainly grateful…   then the crowd takes him to the Pharisees because they can’t believe its really the same person….   Then the Pharisees send him away..  and then the parents of the blind man come in and go.. after carefully getting themselves out of trouble….  And then Jesus goes looking for the ex-blind man and speaks with him again/….  Its all wonderful….. 

 

Now, not only has the man got his sight back… he can now see Jesus with the eyes of faith, which is an ever greater gift he has received…. 

 

The man believes in what Jesus tells him and worships Jesus.

 

The experts in the law and those considered publicly righteous, do not respond in the way they should to Jesus.  They will not listen to him, they will not see what is really going on. They will not believe even when the blind see again.   

 

These people will not let go of their stubborn and wrong beliefs that physical conditions are caused by the wrongdoing or sin of the person or their ancestors…  they won’t let go of the false belief that God is punishing sick and disabled people for their sins or the sins of others….   It might seem a strange superstition to hold on to today, and yet, (you know) if you scratch the surface, I reckon there are still a lot of people who continue to believe at some level that God does go around punishing people who have done wrong and rewarding people who have done wrong.. in this life… by way of the things and illnesses that befall them… . This gospel and the teachings of Jesus make it quite clear that this is not how God operates and that belief is wrong… and very unhelpful.    We know that there are many incidents of really good people who suffer terribly and they may not even get the respite they deserve in this life,   whilst other people who have apparently lead really bad lives…  appear happy, healthy, and even prosperous … right to the end….     

 

As it says elsewhere in scripture… “the lord makes his sun to shine and rain to fall on good and bad alike.”

 

In the midst of all the natural disasters happening around the world…... it is a very unhelpful and I think quite wrong thing to fall for the trap of thinking that this is some kind of punishment or action by God aimed at particular people or behaviours…   /   I believe that  is just not the case….    God is a God of love who wants nothing but that which is for our good…  for all people…..    its very difficult to make sense of what is happening in so many parts of the world… but we do well to avoid any simplistic explanations to placate our worries about why this has happened or whether it could happen again or here….  And so on….  I believe God’s hand is to be seen at work not in the cause of these disasters, but in the hands of those who help to heal and rebuild and help….  God is in the midst of us suffering with us and for us and helping to being life out of the worst that the world throws up at us….  

 

Jesus has, in his ministry, a series of really key teachings and points to make and he targeted particular problems in the religious system of his day.  He named some of the problems specifically and warned his followers to be on their guard about them.  Some problems can be quite insidious and hard to shake…

 

In today’s gospel, he names ‘spiritual blindness’ (which includes an unwillingness or an inability to even realise that they have a blind spot in their attitudes and behaviour).   Jesus also highlights “hypocrisy” as a major stumbling block in the religious life. It is so hard to detect these things because (by definition) If something cannot be seen or is hidden…it is hard to know that it is there. Also, if a person is not living up to what they appear to be doing outwardly, how can an observer tell the difference. It is a real problem. Jesus reminds us, that it is in the fruits that we test the health of the plant.  It is in the actions and results of a person’s life that the true health of their spirituality and religiousness shows itself.

 

Ultimately, anything done in the name of religion that does not foster greater love of God, and love of neighbour as one self, is not authentic Christianity.

 

To go through the outward observances of the law and then go out and mistreat one’s brothers and sisters around us is really one of the worst and most confusing things for Christians to do. It goes down so poorly with not only fellow Christians but also non-Christians many of whom know how they think Jesus’ disciples should be acting and why.

                                       

 

May the lord show us any areas of spiritual blindness and open us up to love more and more as he calls us to do.

 

 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

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.