Weekly Reflection

Twenty Second Sunday (“A”) – September 3, 2017

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Today in the Gospel Jesus indicates His part of the covenant. He will go up to Jerusalem. There He will die for us. He will seal the covenant. Not in print, but in His own blood. What is our part of the covenant? Jesus states it this way: “Those who wish to come after me must deny their very selves, take up their cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps.” This may seem a strange kind of love, to have to take up the cross in order to come to the fullness of life, but it is God’s wisdom, His plan. During the Eucharistic prayer, and especially at the time of the consecration, we are to join Christ our priest in offering ourselves to God the Father just as Jesus offered himself on the cross. That will be our way of saying that we want to follow God’s will in our lives. It will be our way of confirming our covenant with the Father, a covenant sealed in the blood of Christ, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.

We must continue to reflect on the terms of the covenant. With faith and God’s grace we can accept the terms gladly because by doing so we unite ourselves with Jesus Christ who will lead us to the fullness of love which is the real meaning of our covenant with God.

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Twentieth Sunday (“A”) – August 20, 2017

Frackville, From the Pastor /

In today’s Gospel we meet a lady who was certainly not for turning. She was a woman who wouldn’t change her mind, but, incredibly, seems to have successfully encouraged Jesus to change his. Jesus and His apostles have moved towards pagan territory in the north of the country, close to modern day Lebanon. A woman from the district approaches Jesus, crying aloud. She is described as a Canaanite woman, which means that she would have been regarded by the Jews as a pagan, an outsider, and as ritually unclean. She proves to be one of the most attractive characters in the Gospel. Her anxious cries are not for herself but for her little daughter who is sick. Perhaps she has heard about Jesus’ extraordinary ability to heal the sick people. Her efforts meet with apparent rebuff on the part of Jesus – no word from Him, just a stony silence. That doesn’t stop her crying out for His help. In the end the apostles are so annoyed that they beg Jesus, “Give her what she wants.” He explains that for the moment His mission is restricted to the Jews, “the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. But the expression He uses sounds insulting: it’s not right to throw the children’s food to the house dogs. Far from putting off this good woman, Jesus’ words seem only to encourage her. Jesus is moved by her persistence, her love for her daughter, her sense of humor – but above all by her faith, her conviction that Jesus could and would help her.

This incident reads like a commentary on what happened in the early Church. The first Christians were all convert Jews, and there was great uncertainty as to whether Gentiles could become Christians unless they were first prepared to become Jews. Only gradually, especially through the influence of St. Paul, did the Church come to see that her mission was to the whole of humanity. In today’s world many people find it hard to respect “the other”, the one who differs from them because of the color of their skin or the sound of their accent or the land of their birth or the religion to which they are affiliated. There is no excuse for Jesus’ followers ever to lose sight of the fact that His love is for everyone: Catholics and Protestants, Jews, Hindus and Muslims, believers and unbelievers – all alike are His. In fact Jesus’ final words before He ascended into heaven were that the apostles should go forth to all the nations. He died for all without exception. His Spirit is at work in all. Like that wise and wonderful woman in today’s Gospel, please God we too will not be for turning, will never lose sight of the fact that where human beings are concerned there are no “house dogs”, only beloved sons and daughters of God.

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Transfiguration Sunday (“A”) – August 6, 2017

From the Pastor /

At the time when Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain, He had reached a moment of crisis. Official opposition to Jesus was growing. When asked, “Who do you say I am?” Simon had answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and this profession of faith had earned him the nickname Peter, “Rock” – “on this rock I will build my Church.” But within a very short time, when faced with the prospect of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest and crucifixion, Peter was quick to dissuade Jesus from this course of action – “Lord, this must not happen to You” – which earned the name “Satan”: “Get behind me, Satan…the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Now, 6 days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where He was transfigured in their sight. He was teaching them to think in God’s way. They saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah, representing the teaching of the law and the prophets. They heard the voice of the Father: “This is My beloved Son…Listen to Him.” They wanted to stay there. Their minds had been opened to the reality of what it means to say “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” But very quickly the vision was over and they were left alone with Jesus to go back down the mountain and continue on their way to Jerusalem and the cross.

For the disciples, the wonder of the transfiguration soon wore off. When the crisis of Jesus’ passion and death came, they were overcome with fear. They ran away and hid. And this, surely, is the reaction of many of us after an intense experience of faith. Whether it is big occasion in our life like baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation or marriage, we are encouraged and enthusiastic as we prepare for and celebrate them. We promise ourselves that we will keep faithfully all that we have promised. Yet, so often, the enthusiasm soon wears thin and we become disillusioned. In the dark times, we are called to allow the memory of our “mountain top” experience to rekindle our fire, to enable us to renew our decision to love and to follow Jesus, no matter how hard it might be for us.

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XVI Sunday in Ordinary Time (“A”) – July 23, 2017

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Jesus makes it clear that the world is not an innocent place. There will be always evil at work that will frustrate the growth of the kingdom. And even In church communities there will be a mixture of good and bad. Christians should be scandalized but not surprised that sin can exist in the Church. How should is be dealt with? Sometimes immediate action needs to be taken to root out a poisonous cancer; there is no room for compromising with scandal. But there are other occasion when God’s forbearance must be recognized and in sense we are called to imitate it. Sometimes it may be wiser to wait and not judge too quickly. There are zealous people in every community who want to act now and root out what they see as sinners or their influence. But, as Jesus shows, both on an individual and community level we may do more harm than good by rushing in with hasty judgments. Better to wait, allowing for change and repentance. This is not a false tolerance of sin, but rather a situation that occur in families and in parish communities, and which needs patience. Jesus teaches us to have a deep faith that God is in control, and that God can bring good out of the most unpromising situations. In the end there will be a judgment and God will bring about justice.

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XIV Sunday in Ordinary Time (“A”) – July 9, 2017

From the Pastor /

Jesus reveals to us the heart of the Father, and knowledge of this is something that comes to us as pure gift. Those to whom the Father reveals His truth and who respond to it are rightly called “children” because they become members of God’s family. Jesus’ invitation for all those who are struggling to come to Him is an active one. Jesus holds out His hand, drawing us to himself, so that we may follow in His footsteps. Putting on Christ is not burdensome. However, following Jesus and growing in discipleship require that we know that we are yoked to Him. Then, learning from Jesus, and revelling in His gentle and humble heart, we can start to appreciate how the vision of the kingdom in today’s first reading is now only a real responsibility, but something already in our midst and something worth working for.

We have perhaps all heard stories about people being down and out and then meeting Jesus. They encountered the tender mercy and kind compassion of God. It is one thing to talk about how Jesus has been so generous with us, offering us shelter in the midst of our cries. It is another thing to become that which we have received. Are we prepared to become like Christ by seeking to be a safe haven ourselves? Being a place of refuge for those who need comfort need to be as risky as it sounds. It does not necessarily call for us to open up our homes – though some may be called to do that. But it asks us to open our hearts. Even though our hearts may feel inadequate and conflicted, we can trust that Christ, dwelling deep within, can communicate His tenderness through us. All we have to do is to trust Him and allow some of our natural gifts of hospitality to be built upon by grace. For many of us who live busy lives, we meet people every day who need a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on, or some gentle encouragement. Let us not be afraid to reflect the love of the Father by reaching out to them. The Holy Spirit will guide us and Jesus will touch their hearts. Then we will show we are truly His disciples as we embrace others in the way that He did.

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Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi (“A”) – June 18, 2017

From the Pastor /

When life begins for any of us those first gifts are the ones we need. We need the presence of those who love us. We need the daily nourishment of food so that w emay grow stronger. And we need the joy and the interest and the stimulus of others, wider family and friends to introduce us to the world. When the Lord began to form His own family, His community of disciples, His first gift to them was His very presence. They lived with Him night and day. Each day they grew in their understanding of Him and of who He was. His presence inspired them and gave them joy and hope for life. He fed them with every word He said and the people flocked to hear what He would say. This word was truly nourishing to their lives. A new company was born into the world, the followers of Christ, and it was the word of Jesus and the presence of Jesus that nourished and formed this family. His presence among us would now take the form of a sacred and sacrificial meal, a sacramental gift to bind His Church. Present in these sacred signs, in His word and in bread and wine, the Lord would preserve and nourish His Church throughout the ages. His followers, now called His friends, indeed His brothers and sisters, would become the living presence of the Lord in the world.

By receiving the Body and Blood of Christ into ourselves we can become part of that living Lord in this world. The first manifestation of this is our human presence to others. To be present to others is a simple and powerful act of self-giving. To be present to others in an attentive and kindly manner is to allow the grace of the Lord to be there at work in the world. The second manifestation of Christ is in our speaking. Whenever our words are kind and thoughtful, patient and understanding, then the word of God is alive and active through us. People’s lives are nourished by the words they hear from us. The third gift of Christ to the world comes through the sharing of love and affection, kindness and consolation. The company of the Lord, His friends, live by this spirit. And so the feast of Corpus Christi is the feast of life’s fullness. The presence of the Lord among us, the gift of Himself in the holy Sacrament, and the joy of being part of His company, the Church, is what we celebrate today: gathered together, fed by His word and sent out into the world.

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Most Holy Trinity (“A”) – June 11, 2017

From the Pastor /

We cannot actually know God fully. Our attempts to get a grasp on God by natural reflection are better at telling us what God is not rather than what God is. The Church always taught there is no contradiction between the God of reason and the God of faith, but our faith takes us into realms of perception and imagination that reason struggles with. The mystery of the Holy Trinity emerged gradually in the Church’s thinking and teaching, and there have been many different ways of reflecting on it. What God reveals to us is always for our salvation. That is why God the Father sends His Son into the world. The Son has come not to condemn the world but so that through Him the world might be saved. We, His followers, are the ones who proclaim that message and who try in our lives to live out the pattern of truth and love expressed in the mystery of His own life which God has shared with us.

When things go wrong in our lives, when we lose our jobs, fall ill or have any sort of trial or tribulation, we need those who are close to us to hold us and help to offer each other excitement and adventure, risk and new horizons, challenge and inspiration.

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VII Sunday of Easter (“A”) – May 28, 2017

From the Pastor /

The part of St. John’s Gospel from which we read today gives us an imtimate insight into how Jesus speaks with His Father. Very few places have thie beautiful unity so magnificently displayed. It is our privilege to stand by Jesus and listen to all He has to say. We hear Him speak of glory, of eternal life, of His own pre-existence, of prayer and of our own good selves. This is the essence of Jesus’ mission and ministry, and we are being given this opportunity to hear it all from His own mouth as the words fall from His lips. If we use our hearts wisely to begin to understand all of what Jesus says, then we have a very good chance of being the followers He really wants. Being inspired to pray or asking how to pray is a very good position to be in as a result of today’s Gospel. Jesus speaks to the Father about us.

Listening is one thing; however, to do it with reverence is the key that will surely enable us to hear the message. Today let us think about how well we listen. There are many different ways in which we listen. But what we get from the words may depend on how well we listen.

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IV Sunday of Easter (“A”) – May 7, 2017

From the Pastor /

In today’s Gospel Jesus gives us warning about people who have no care for others except to take advantage of them and to exploit them for their own selfish purposes. He says anyone who gets into the sheepfold and does not use the gate is up to no good. The gate is the open entrance into the fold where sheep safely graze. The gate is the pathway of honest approach. If you approach people in a sly or sideways manne you are up to mischief and people will have every reason to mistrust you. A true shepherd uses the gate. The sheep see the shepherd and know they are safe. The shepherd’s voice is familiar and to be trusted and the sheep feel secure. Every good parent or guardian knows this. Children look to those who care for them. The story Jesus tells is especially suited for people in positions of pastoral care. What applies to priests and pastors in the Church equally applies to any of us who have roles of responsibility towards others in life.

Jesus, who is the great shepherd of our souls, is also the innocent lamb who was led to the slaughter. Speaking about this, Peter describes to us how the Lord in His suffering left us an example to follow. He never lied. He never threatened, even when He was being tortured. The Lam of God went to His death teaching us to be wise and gentle with one another. His wounds heal our ills. Peter’s call to us today is stark in its message: „Save yourselves from this perverse generation.” Every age has its evils and the exploitation of the innocents has raised its ugly features inour time, in the world and in the Church. „What must we do?” Peter told them straight. Repent of your sins and be converted to the Lord once more. The Spirit helps us to become like Christ Jesus in our own world. It is a most magnificent vocation, to love and to care for others.

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III Sunday of Easter (“A”) – April 30, 2017

From the Pastor /

Jesus always has to reveal himself to His disciples in His risen appearances. They never identify Him through their own powers. On most occasions He appears in their midst and offers them peace. Mary Magdalene mistakes Him for gardener, but He only has to say her name for her to recognize Him. In today’s story of His encounter with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, there is a much slower process. The story is like a program of catechesis. The disciples are first asked to give their account of what is preoccupying them, and with their telling of the story there is a sense of disappointment and frustration. Their hopes had been dashed, both in the events of the crucifixion and the puzzling aftermath of the empty tomb. Jesus picks up their story and reframes it. By this time their hearts are beginning to burn with the experience of the truths He is unfolding to them. But the act of full recognition only comes after they have persuaded Him to stay with them. He accepts their invitation and it is in His disciples and breaking of bread that the disciple’s eyes are finally opened and they recognize Him.

Each stage of the celebration, the offering of the bread and wine, the consecration of the elements and our receiving them in communion, helps our understanding of the mystery of God’s presence among us. We become the body of Christ whose sacrifice we have been both witnessed and made our own.

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