Gospel Readings and Reflections – Page 5

Gospel 28.8.2022

August 28th, 2022

The Gospel

Luke 14:1, 7–14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honour at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honour. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbours, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Reflection

When we have a meal with others, it tends to be with members of our family, or with members of our community, or with friends. We rarely eat with total strangers.

Yet, Jesus shared table not alone with is friends and disciples; he shared his table with people he didn’t know, people he had little in common with. He shared table with Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who had a reputation for taking more money from people than he was entitled to. Jesus shared table on a regular basis with ‘tax collectors and sinners’. The more religious people, like the Pharisees, were scandalized by this and criticized Jesus for it. Yet, Jesus also shared table with his critics, people like the Pharisees. That is what we find him doing in today’s gospel reading. On the Sabbath day, he went for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees, who was very suspicious of Jesus. Why did Jesus share table with such a wide range of people? He was revealing something about God. He was making present the hospitality of God, which embraced everyone, those who were considered religious and those who were made to feel sinners, those who were disciples of Jesus and those who had rejected Jesus.

Jesus said on one occasion, ‘people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God’. Jesus is suggesting that there will be great diversity in heaven; it won’t be a gathering of the like-minded. He was trying to bring something of that heavenly reality to earth by sharing table with a great diversity of people. He wanted the religious leaders of the time, the Pharisees, to learn from his own table practice, to eat in such a way that the kingdom of heaven becomes present.

Prayer:-

Lord, when I perceive Your presence in my life, give me the courage I need to respond. May I never let societal pressures or pride interfere with my turning to You. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You without reserve. Jesus, I trust in You.

Gospel reading – “the narrow gate”

August 21st, 2022

Gospel

Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

REFLECTION

To enter by a narrow door requires a certain amount of concentration, whereas we can sail through a wide door or gate without even noticing it. On the way into a big football game, such as into Croke Park or customs in an Airport, you generally have to go through narrow gates or styles. People have to get in line and concentrate a little. Once a football match is over, the wide main gates are opened and people sail through without any effort at all. The same numbers of people go through the narrow doors beforehand as come out the main gates afterwards. However, the narrow door requires people to be focused in a way that the main gate does not. Therefore we must listen, concentrate and focus upon the word of God, in the hope of entering through the narrow door or gate leading to heaven. Each and every day, the words of the Gospel retain a message from the Lord above for us to concentrate and focus upon.

Reflect, today, upon that moment when you meet our Lord face to face. What will that encounter be like? Will it be one where He greets you with open arms saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your reward.” Or will it be one in which He says, “I do not know you.” Now is the time to face your life of faith with honesty, striving to rely only upon the strength of our divine Lord.

PRAYER

Lord, I do desire to enter the narrow gate. I choose to follow Your gentle voice, leading me to Heaven. Help me to remain humble in life, shedding all that leads me to rely upon myself. May I rely only upon You, dear Lord, and trust You in all things. Jesus, I trust in You

Gospel 14th August 2022

Gospel – 14th August 2022

Lk 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

REFLECTION

This passage reveals two things to us. First, it reveals Jesus’ intention to “set the earth on fire.” Second, it reveals that He desires “it were already blazing.”

What does it mean when Jesus says that He came to set the world on fire? Fire is a powerful image that offers much insight into the Christian life. First, fire consumes. So it is with Christ. He came to consume us. He came to transform our little lives into blazing fires. This reveals that there is much potential in each one of our lives. We have potential to become something totally new if we allow the spark of grace to ignite our souls.

Fire also has the potential to make a difference. Its heat keeps us warm, its light allows us to see in darkness and its energy produces power in various ways to help us in our daily lives. So it is with grace. God’s grace transforms our cold hearts, leads us through the darkness of life and provides us with all we need to live productive lives.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus did not only say that He came to set the world on fire; rather, He said that He wished it were already blazing. This desire of our Lord is an invitation to move out of a mediocre and lukewarm existence into a life of radical Christian living. We are not called to be partly transformed, or even mostly transformed. No, we are called to become blazing fires of faith, transformed by God to make a true difference in the world!

Reflect, today, upon the fire within your own soul. How brightly is that fire burning? You need to feed that fire on a daily basis, fanning it into flame with complete commitment. Seek to become that blazing fire that the Lord desires of you and you will be amazed at how fully you can become transformed by grace.

Prayer:-

Lord, set my heart on fire with the brightness of Your love and mercy. Help me to be open to the complete transformation of life that You desire of me. I give myself to You without reserve, dear Lord. Use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.

From Catholic Daily Reflections.com

The Gospel 31.7.2022

Gospel

31st July 2022

Lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”

REFLECTION

The making of a will is one of the important acts of adulthood. We can be rather reluctant to sit down and make our will. To do so is to acknowledge in a very concrete way that we are mortal, that one day we will leave our possessions to others. The author of the book of Qoheleth saw this as part of the meaninglessness of life – ‘a person who has laboured… must leave what is his own to someone who has not toiled for it at all’. Yet, there can be great meaning in the act of leaving what is our own to those who have not laboured for it. In making our will, we are deciding how our earthly possessions at the time of death will be divided and distributed. The decisions we make in regard to our will speak volumes about who and what we really value in life. We leave our possessions to the people and the causes that are most significant for us. Our will is a statement of our loves and passions, our values and interests.

When a will is not made or when it is unclear, trouble very often ensues, as family members attempt to interpret what the deceased person really intended. Non-family members can easily get drawn into the family quarrel. We don’t always welcome it when someone asks us to get involved in a family dispute. We probably sense that if we are not careful we could make matters worse. In the gospel reading, a man asks Jesus to take his side in a dispute he has with his brother over a family inheritance. Jesus was being asked, ‘Side with me against my brother’. There was another occasion when Jesus was asked to side with someone against a sister. Jesus was very friendly with Mary and Martha. Martha asked Jesus to side with her against her sister Mary, who was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him speaking. Martha felt that Mary had left her all alone to do the serving. Jesus did not take Martha’s side against Mary, but suggested that Martha had something to learn from Mary. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus did not take the man’s side against his brother in the dispute over the family inheritance. Instead, he gave the man a warning about greed, reminding him that we don’t find security in our possessions. It is not the case that the more we possess, the more secure our life is.

To show this, Jesus tells a story, a parable. Most of Jesus’ stories have several people in them. One of his great stories, the story of the prodigal son, has three people in it, the father and his two sons. The story of the Good Samaritan has five people in it, the man who was beaten up and left for dead, the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan and the inn keeper. However, the story Jesus tells in today’s gospel reading only has one person in it. This rich man doesn’t seem to interact with anyone. We don’t hear of other family members or neighbours or friends. He lives in his own world. When he speaks, he speaks to himself. He has been blessed with an unexpectedly rich harvest. His only thought is for himself. ‘Where am I going to store it all?’ The little word ‘my’ keeps cropping up in his conversation with himself, ‘my crops… my barns… my goods… my soul’. He lives for himself completely. It never occurs to him to ask, ‘How can I share my surplus with those who have nothing?’ It certainly never occurs to him to ask, ‘What would God want me to do with this huge surplus?’ God never comes into his thinking at all. However, in the story, God is present, even though the rich man has no awareness of God. The question that never occurred to the rich man was very important to God, ‘Who could benefit from this wonderful surplus that the earth has given?’ The rich man had forgotten that everything is a gift from God, including his very soul, his life. God now calls back his life, ‘This very night the demand will be made for your soul’. Where does the rich man stand at that moment? He is extremely rich in his possessions but he has not made himself rich in the sight of God. God looks at him and sees someone who is really very poor. He sees a life that has been wasted.

Jesus is saying to the man who wanted to involve him in a family dispute about inheritance that what really matters, at the end of the day, is to be rich in the sight of God. We find a very good example of someone who is rich in the sight of God in another of Jesus’ stories, the story of the Good Samaritan. He probably wasn’t a rich man, like the man in the story of today’s gospel reading, but he had some possessions. He had some money, he had oil and wine, he had a horse. More importantly, he had an eye for others, especially those in need. When he came upon the man who had been left half dead by robbers, he used his oil and wine, his horse and his money, to bring the half-dead man back to life. He became poorer so that someone else could become richer, richer in health and well-being. Whereas the rich man in today’s gospel reading invested in things, in bigger barns to store his abundant harvest, the Samaritan invested in people, in one particular broken human being that he came across by the roadside. The Samaritan used some of his possessions to serve others, because he recognized that everything was gift to be shared rather than private possessions to be hoarded. He was rich in the sight of God. The person who was supremely rich in the sight of God was Jesus. He had very little in the way of possessions; he had nowhere to lay his head. Yet, he gave everything he had, including his life, so that others would have life to the full. Jesus is the person we are all called to grow up into. He is our true treasure, his relationship with us and ours with him. As Paul says at the end of today’s second reading, ‘There is only Christ; he is everything and he is in everything’. It has been said that when we go before the Lord at the end of our lives we leave behind us everything we have and take with us everything we are and have become.

Take a minute to reflect on how other people see you. Does that image reflect what the Lord sees?

Are you happy if called by the Lord to him tomorrow , that you have carried out the Lords calling to the fullest of your abilities? Have you given your whole self for his cause?

Prayer:-

Lord of true riches, help me to always keep my heart set on the riches You bestow and to never settle for those things that can never fully satisfy me. I desire the wealth of Heaven, dear Lord, not the riches of Earth. I desire to live my life to spread your word and entice people back to our Church. I pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit to help me speak your word, to those hurt and not accepting of the word of God at this time. Help me to live the spiritual poverty I am called to live so as to obtain all that You desire for me. Free me from stubbornness, self importance, greed and selfishness and help me to find true joy in Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.

Taken in large part from Fr. Martins daily homilies.

Gospel reading and reflection 17.7.2022

Gospel

17th July 2022

Lk 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

REFLECTION

We all appreciate being made to feel welcome in a place. We find a good example of welcome in today’s first reading. Three men appeared near to the tent, the home, of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham immediately began to make them feel welcome. He gave them water to wash the dust off their feet, he asked Sarah to make three loaves, he asked his servant to prepare a calf for them to eat, and when all was ready he placed the meal before them which they ate under the shelter of a tree. It was actually the Lord who was coming to Abraham through these three visitors. Without realising it, Abraham and Sarah were offering hospitality to the Lord. The Lord continues to come to each one of us today through those who need our hospitality, our welcome.

We can show hospitality to people, we can make them feel welcome, in different ways. Sometimes showing hospitality to someone, welcoming them, involves some activity on our part. There may be a room to get ready, food to be bought and prepared. Certainly Abraham and Sarah sprang into action when the three visitors arrived on their doorstep. When Jesus came to the home of his friends Martha and Mary, it was Martha who sprang into action. It seems as if she set about preparing an elaborate meal for Jesus. This was her way of showing Jesus hospitality. Mary welcomed Jesus in a different way. She sat at his feet and listened to him speaking. She welcomed Jesus not by doing things for him but by listening to him. This can be a very important way of showing someone hospitality. They come to visit us and what they really want is a listening ear. If a cup of tea is served as well, all the better, but it isn’t really the cup of tea they have come for. Mary and Martha were showing Jesus hospitality in different ways, and both ways were very valid and appreciated by Jesus. However, Martha didn’t think much of Mary’s way of showing Jesus hospitality. She criticized her sister to Jesus, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the caring all by myself? Please tell her to help me’. Jesus responded to Martha with great affection, calling her twice by her personal name, ‘Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things’. It is as if Jesus was saying to her, ‘Don’t be worrying and fretting over me. I don’t expect anything elaborate’. Jesus also wanted Martha to appreciate that Mary’s way of showing him hospitality was very valid, ‘Mary has chosen the better part’. Perhaps, on this occasion, the kind of hospitality that Jesus wanted was a listening ear. He wanted a human presence, rather than all kinds of presents or gifts in the form of food of various kinds.

Mary may have been quicker to recognize that this was the kind of welcome that Jesus wanted at this time. There must have been other times when he was received into people’s homes and he had nothing much to say and a good meal was exactly what he wanted. We all have to learn what it is that love for someone requires of us at any particular moment. We need the sensitivity to know whether the loving thing to do is to roll up our sleeves and get to work on their behalf or just to sit and listen to them. There is a time for both. Do you remember last Sunday’s gospel reading? When the Samaritan came upon the broken traveller, it was definitely the time to spring into action. After all, the man by the roadside was half-dead. The story of Jesus’ visit to Mary and Martha’s home comes immediately after that parable of the Good Samaritan in the gospel of Luke. Perhaps it is showing us another form of service, the service of listening, of paying attention, of being present. It seems as if it was the hospitality of presence that Jesus valued most on this occasion.

Both sisters, Mary and Martha, are venerated as saints in the church. There are times when we need to be Mary for others, and times when we need to be Martha for them. That is true of our relationship with the Lord as well. There are times when we need to sit and listen to his word, just to be present to him, and then there are times when we need to work on his behalf, allowing him to serve others in a very practical way through us. If from time to time we are prayerfully present to him, sitting at his feet listening to him, like Mary, then there is a better chance that we will serve others in the way the Lord wants them to be served.

From Fr. Martin Hogan, Daily Homilies and reflections

Gospel reflection: when you are shunned or laughed at for doing God’s work

Alleluia

Col 3:1

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”

Reflection:-

Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” John 15:20

Do you want to be like Jesus? If so, beware of what that means. It’s easy to think that the closer we grow to Christ the more we will be loved and understood by the world. We can think that everyone will see our holiness and admire it and all will be good and easy in life.

But all we have to do is look at the life of Christ to know this is not the case. He was obviously perfect in every way. As a result, He was treated with great malice and persecution. In the dark of the night, He was arrested, given a mock trial, found guilty and sentenced to death. His punishment was then carried out immediately.

Why did they do this to the Son of God? Why would someone so perfect and merciful in every way be so cruelly treated?

If we were there, as His first followers, we would have most likely been shocked, frightened, scandalized and confused. We may have thought that Jesus messed up and lost hope in Him. But His plan was perfect in every way and His plan did centrally involve Him enduring false accusations and malicious persecution. And by freely accepting this abuse, He redeemed the world.

So back to the original question, “Do you want to be like Jesus?” This is a tough question when we look at it in the light of what happened to Him. “No slave is greater than his master.” “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” These are tough sayings to accept and agree to.

Persecution is something from which we should not run. We should not despair if it happens and we should not hold our head low. Why? Because persecution is a clear sign that we are following in the footsteps of our Master. We are more deeply united to Christ as a result of persecution than we could ever realize.

The key is to know that God intends to use all maltreatment for good if we let Him. And we let Him use it for good when we surrender it to Him and receive it freely, not begrudgingly. Our response must be to “rejoice and be glad” that we have been found worthy to follow in the steps of our Divine Lord.

Ponder today any form of persecution or injustice you suffer for the sake of your faith and embrace of the Gospel. The Lord wants to use that if you let Him.

Today more than ever, It takes courage to be associated with your Church. It takes courage to go up on the altar and read. It takes courage to be involved in the mass ceremony. It takes courage to speak to others in a positive light about God, about our Priests and religious. It takes courage to speak to our children about God and pray with them. Everytime you do these things, the Lord sees and he will reward you on the last day.

Prayer:-

My persecuted Lord, I do surrender to You all that weighs me down. I give any suffering I receive for being Your follower. May I not only imitate You in Your suffering, but also in Your willing embrace of it. Jesus, I trust in You.

Abandon your big worry and truely trust the Lord

Alleluia

See Lk 24:46, 26

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 14:27-31a

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

REFLECTION

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

What a wonderful reminder that we all need to hear on a regular basis. “Do not let your heart be troubled.” And “Do not let your heart be afraid.” How often do you follow that advice?

Interestingly, it’s actually more than advice. It’s a command of love from our Lord. He wants to be clear and wants us to know that a fearful and troubled heart is not of Him. To be troubled and fearful is a great burden and weighs us down. Jesus desperately wants us to be free of these burdens. He wants us to be free so that we can experience the joy of life.

So what is it that burdens you in life the most? Is there something in your life that you obsess about, are angry about, can’t let go of or that tends to dominate your life? Or perhaps your burden is more subtle. Perhaps there is nothing that overwhelms you but, instead, is a constant burden in a small way, always there in the background. These burdens can be quite difficult when they last from year to year.

The first step to freedom is to see the burden for what it is. Identify it and seek to identify the underlying cause. If the cause of your burden is your own sin, repent of it and seek Confession. This is the best way to experience immediate freedom.

If, however, your burden is the result of another’s actions or some situation in life that is out of your control, then you are in a unique position to surrender to our Lord, giving Him complete control of this situation. Freedom is found in total surrender, trust and abandonment to His will.

Spend some time today reflecting upon that which burdens you the most in life. What is it that weighs heavily upon you? It is this, more than anything else, that Jesus wants to enter into and lift for you. He wants you free so that you can experience the joy that He has to offer you in life.

Lord of true joy, I want to be free. I want to experience the joy You have in store for me. When the burdens of life weigh me down, help me to turn to You in my need. Jesus, I trust in You.

Gospel and reflection – why we read the word of God!

Gospel

Jn 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

REFLECTION

Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.” John 10:24–25

This statement of Jesus may have left His followers confused. They wanted to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and so they asked Him to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah. And how did He respond? He tells them that He already told them and they failed to believe. This is an interesting situation.

The first thing to say about this is that Jesus was not being critical. He was helping them to understand His language. He was helping them to understand that the answer to their question was not a matter of Jesus simply telling them, “I am the Messiah!” Rather, the answer to their question had to come to them from the Father in Heaven, spoken to their hearts as they listened to Jesus and witnessed His miracles. The answer was to be given to them by the gift of faith that had to be received from within. This gift of faith would give them the certainty they so desired.

The same is true with us. Perhaps you’ve wanted God to come down from Heaven at times and tell you “plainly” the answer to this or that question. But He does not do that. He does it in His perfect way with His perfect language. It’s the language of faith and it requires a complete submission of our minds and wills to God to hear and understand. This is the only way to become converted in the way God wants us to be.

Reflect, today, on how well you listen to God speak. You most likely can learn to listen to Him more clearly, discerning His voice of Truth. As you hear Him, let yourself become completely convinced of all that He says. And let that deep conviction rule your life. For example, read the Gospel and reflect on it, look up online catholicdailyreflections.com, listen to EWTN and to some of the speakers. Those are examples of you trying to give God an opportunity to talk to you by reading and listening to his word (in the busy world you operate within). Not everyone will hear God’s message in the same way. Some people may hear the Lord speak while out walking through the fields in the Countryside, witnessing it’s natural beauty. Another may hear the Lord speaking to them in the quietness of a church. Others by reading and reflecting on the Gospel or different readings. We need to keep exploring until we find a way that the Lord speaks to us in through our Hearts. Once we experience this once, then all of this starts to make sense and we want more! To those of no faith, this sounds utterly ridiculous.

The gift of faith, is the best gift one can ever receive. When someone is on a trolley going for an operation. No mobile phone, no internet, no family or friends allowed in to this area of the hospital. No watch, no nothing apart from you and God. You can speak in your mind to the Lord. He is with you always, when all the worldly items are not there. You are there worried about what will happen in the operation. You comfort in talking and trusting the Lord.

Locked in a prison on your own, the Lord is there with you. Once you have faith, you can never be parted from the Lord, notwithstanding what happens.

If only our children could understand this but we must keep trying to explain in a way that they can understand. Our role is to keep trying and the Lord will take it from there. At the very least, we keep praying for our children (family, neighbours and friends) to experience the gift of faith.

Dont take this gift for granted. The Lord gave you this gift to go out and speak his word in a respectful and polite way. Not everyone has received the gift you may have received and may have to spend years searching.

We cannot see the wind. We cannot see the Lord but we know they are both there.

Prayer

Lord of all Truth, I so often do not let myself hear You plainly through the gift of faith. I so often want the easy answer to the difficult questions. Help me to grow in patience so that I may know You and allow You to become my true Shepherd. Jesus, I trust in You.

Do we recognise Jesus? Luke 24:13-16

Gospel

Lk 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

REFLECTION

This appearance of Jesus to two of His disciples is intriguing and fascinating. They were quite distraught and didn’t seem to know what to think about Jesus’ death. They had hoped He was the Messiah but then He was killed. And then there were some who claimed His tomb was empty. What should they make of all this?

As the story goes on, Jesus “interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures.” With that, these disciples realized that this man with whom they were speaking had incredible wisdom and understanding, so they invited Him to stay with them. Jesus stayed and sat down with them in their home. While there, Scripture says that “he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.”

Again, this is intriguing and fascinating. Why did Jesus appear to them, conceal who He was, sit down and break bread with them, allow them to suddenly recognize Him and then vanish into thin air? Well, He did it for a reason and we should be very attentive to this.

Jesus wanted those disciples, as well as all of us, to know that He who rose from the dead was very much alive and that we would recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. We would recognize Him in the Most Holy Eucharist!

This appearance of Jesus to these disciples was, in fact, an appearance to teach all of us the simple truth of His presence in the Eucharist. It was at that moment, as they “took bread, said the blessing, broke it,” that Jesus was suddenly made manifest to their minds and souls. Jesus is alive in the Eucharist! But it also tells us that He is veiled in the Eucharist. This combination of being veiled and truly present gives us wonderful guidance in our faith.

Jesus is here, right now, in our presence, but we most likely do not see Him. But He is truly here! These disciples were in the presence of Jesus and they did not realize it. The same is true for us. We are constantly in His presence and we do not realize it. This is especially true when we are at Mass but it is also true in countless other ways throughout our day. We must commit ourselves to seeing Him, to recognizing Him and to adoring Him. We must discover the resurrected presence of Jesus all around us.

Too often we think that our Lord is present only in extraordinary ways. But that is not true! He is constantly present to us in very ordinary ways. He is here with us right now, loving us, speaking to us, and calling us to love Him. Do you see Him? Do you recognize His presence?

Reflect, today, upon the experience of these disciples. If you were them, you’d be blessed to be in the presence of the Savior of the world. What an honor! The truth is that God is with you now and always. He is constantly with you and is constantly speaking with you. Look for Him and listen to His voice. You may be surprised at how near He really is.

Prayer:-

My ever-present Lord, thank You for loving me so much that You are always with me. Help me to see You and to recognize Your gentle and still voice. Give me the eyes of faith to see You present in the Most Holy Eucharist, and help me to discern Your presence in every ordinary event of my day. I love You, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.

Gospel, readings and reflection – Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Day

Lectionary: 42

Reading I

Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Peter proceeded to speak and said:
“You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23.

R (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R  Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R  Alleluia.
“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
R  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R  Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R  Alleluia.

Reading II

Col 3:1-4

Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

OR:

I Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Sequence

Victimae paschali laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Cf. 1 Cor 5:7b-8a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

REFLECTION

Alleluia! He is Risen!

Saying those words is like drinking a tall glass of cold water after being out in the desert all day. Lent is over and it is now time to celebrate the great joy of Easter!

At the Easter Vigil, the Exsultet is sung as Mass begins in darkness, illumined only by candles throughout the church. The Exsultet is a beautiful hymn of rejoicing in Christ’s triumph over sin and death. One part states:

O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

This line stands out because it calls the sin of Adam “necessary” and refers to it as “O happy fault.” At first, this may seem strange. Why is it that we refer to the sin of Adam, Original Sin, as “necessary” and “happy.” The answer is Easter. It’s because God, in His perfect wisdom and love, took sin and the consequence of sin (death) and used them as the means of the salvation of the world. That’s what Easter is all about!

This may be hard to comprehend so it’s worth thinking about more deeply. Without Adam’s sin, there would be no Jesus. God would not have had to become one of us. So even though the original sin of Adam, as well as all future sin, is evil and wrong, God in His perfect power and love chose to use it as the very means of the salvation of the world. How? By allowing the sins of the world to persecute Him and crucify Him, and then, by turning that suffering and death into the very means of salvation. Jesus destroyed sin by destroying the consequences of sin which is death. Death loses in the Resurrection! Jesus’ Resurrection takes away the effects of all sin for those who cling to Him.

Easter is a time when we must do just that. We must “cling” to our resurrected Lord! We must cling to Jesus who is alive and well. We must cling to His Resurrection and strive to share in it. How do we cling to our Resurrected Lord? There are many ways. Here is one.

Take joy in everything. Start with whatever it is that burdens you the most. Whatever it is that makes you angry, sad or depressed. Whatever that is, it can potentially become one of your greatest sources of grace and joy. Seriously, it can. If the brutal Crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God, can turn out to be the greatest event in all of human history, then your personal suffering, your burden, or even your sin can very much become a source of great joy as long as you let God transform it into part of His Resurrection!

This is the meaning of Easter! Easter means that nothing can keep us from the joy that God wants to give us. Nothing can steal that joy away. Sure, at times we will struggle just as Jesus did in the Agony of the Garden and the Via Dolorosa (the Way of the Cross), but those sufferings will not win. The Resurrection won with Christ and it will win with us when we cling to Him. Jesus persevered and, in the end, rose victorious. This is Easter!

Know that God wants you to experience the joy of Easter in your life. Let Him fill you with hope and with the joy that only the Resurrection can bring. God wants Easter to begin now in our lives! Happy Easter!

Prayer:-

My transforming Lord, help me to cling to You in Your Resurrection. Help me to let you transform every cross and burden in my life into joy. Lord, may Your joy fill my life and be my strength in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.

Reflection

Gospel

Gospel – 14th August 2022

Alleluia

Gospel

Alleluia

Gospel

Gospel

Gospel

Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord The Mass of Easter Day

Reading I

Responsorial Psalm

Reading II

Sequence

Alleluia

Gospel

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