Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. -Year B - Sunday, 1 September 2024 (EPISODE:494)
GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
Homily: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, 1 September 2024
++++
Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-22nd-sunday-ordinary-time-year-b-episode-494/s-L0XRbVSaqAf
+++++
Readings for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B
FIRST READING: Deut 4: 1-2, 6-8
Ps 15: 2-3a, 3b-4a, 4b-5. "The just will live in the presence of the Lord."
SECOND READING: Jas 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (James 1: 18). Alleluia, alleluia! The Father gave us birth by his message of truth. That we might be as the first fruits of his creation.
GOSPEL: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
++++++++++++
HAPPY FATHERS DAY
This weekend, the first Sunday of September, we give thanks to all Fathers for their love, care and generosity. We pray that God grants them joy in their family and friends, as well as health and strength.
Also, for all fathers who have passed into eternal life, may God give them a permanent place at the heavenly feast, the reward for all their goodness and kindness.
Happy Father's Day to all our Dads in the community. May God bless you and grant you peace and joy.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
This weekend's readings take a very practical angle on the meaning of discipleship. We are called to take special care to be just, honest, and charitable toward everyone. What a different tone the world would take if everyone took that angle.
As Christians, properly applying our religious beliefs leads to significant practical consequences for our lives and actions. The readings this weekend send a powerful message: What is the point of calling ourselves "Disciples of Christ and servants of God" (in other words: "Christians"), unless our practical actions REFLECT justice, SHOW charity, really put forgiveness into action and REVEAL loving/practical acts of kindness (that God asks us to show to one-another).
'True and untarnished religion is this: acting justly, helping the poor, the widow and the orphan.' - In fact, helping all those who are most in need. Jesus warns his critics that if their religion goes no further than blind observation of symbolic rituals, whilst at the same time not living the message of practical love, kindness, and fairness, it will do no good whatsoever. The sacraments SHOW, AND POINT TO, AND STRENGTHEN God's compassion and love abiding within us – This is the nature and purpose of Christ's sacraments - They convey to us, in a real, touchable way, Christ, who is love, mercy, justice and compassion.
"The value of a person's good works is not based on their number and excellence," says Saint John of the Cross, "but on the love of God within them, which prompts the person to do these things in the first place." [Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)]
"Love, justice, and charity are the more key indicators of authentic discipleship than mere outward observances of one's rituals. Ideally, the two go together and reinforce and nurture each other."
+++++++++
It's clear from the Gospel that by the time of Jesus, people had indeed started adding to God's law and loading people down with unnecessary burdens and difficult observances that for most people were impossible to achieve. So, living in God's favour became something that most people couldn't do, and it was only reserved for the lucky minority. Most people were too busy just keeping alive and dealing with the everyday practicalities of living and surviving to observe all these rules and rituals.
Holiness and peace had become rare commodities which were now well beyond the reach of most people. That was never God's plan. The whole point of God's law was that it was given to people for their welfare and growth, so that people could deeply live and reflect the love, the values and priorities of God in their actions and attitudes.
I particularly like the scripture passages that expressly name the virtues and qualities of Christian life. As you name them, it feels as if it stirs up the desire to deepen those virtues in our hearts. It's as if those values and virtues start to take deeper hold in our souls as we think about them, as we reflect on them.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord by means of this, walking in the ways of blamelessness, acting with justice, speaking honestly, avoiding wrongdoing, not gossiping or slandering others, honouring the Lord, keeping our promises, not ripping off people, not allowing oneself to be bought off from their principles, not selling out.
The second reading from James confirms this practical advice, that we should always aim to do what the word tells us, and not just listen to it and deceive ourselves. That's a very powerful reminder that we can easily deceive ourselves about our true motives and intentions, but we should be on guard against such self-justifications.
Not merely us saying, I'm doing this for the good of others, I have no self-serving motives in my actions, but rather the test of pure unspoiled religion is coming to the help of people who are in need, distancing oneself from the values of the world that are not consistent with the Gospel. Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus warns us about people who honour God with only lip service, and all the while their hearts are actually very far from God. Our Lord asks us to look deep inside our hearts and see the things that distort our faithfulness.
These are the inner movements of the heart, and they can be, and need to be, crowded out by the positive values, the graces and virtues that God gives us to counteract them, namely faithfulness, purity, reverence, respect, detachment from material things, love, honesty, appreciation, affirmation, self-sacrifice, and so on. The virtues of the Gospel build us up, and they crowd out anything that is inconsistent with the Gospel. There's simply no room for those negative qualities because God has filled us with all the good values.
Christianity is not primarily a set of doctrines and laws. Christianity is, first and foremost, a person, Jesus, and a relationship with that person, Christ, who is the revelation of God and the perfection of the law. Christianity is a relationship, not a concept or philosophy, and certainly not just a set of rules.
Whenever Christianity is turned into mere concepts or a set of rules and philosophies alone, it gets disconnected from the person and values of Jesus, which should be at the very core, a living core, a living heart of love. Naturally, there are rules and doctrines and dogmas in Christianity. There certainly are, but all of them serve to point us to Christ, who is the one rule, the one Word.
In the Gospel today, Jesus was struggling valiantly against legalism. The lawmakers and the law keepers seemed to be more interested in what people could not do, rather than focusing on what they could be doing and should be doing in response to life's real issues and problems. Our Christian faith is about positive acts as well as refraining from negative ones.
The lawmakers in Jesus' time focused too much on appearances and outward actions, ignoring the inner realities of their terrible attitudes, their lack of love, their hypocrisy. They were focusing more on what one should refrain from doing, rather than encouraging and promoting the inner growth of the heart, nurturing those attitudes and loving responses towards others. There's a certain safety in refraining from doing things and avoiding things.
One hardly risks getting hurt if one does not do anything. But when one loves, we open ourselves to being hurt. Not that we want to be hurt, but it's what happens. It is the risk of love. We reach out, and that can make us vulnerable.
Jesus corrected the errors of these legal people. Jesus is shown positively living his message by his actions.
I love this saying, "Christianity is a verb, not a noun." It is about doing, as well as being. As we see our Lord going through life, loving, sharing, forgiving, healing, including, uplifting, unburdening, feeding, encouraging, and risking everything and giving everything out of love, giving absolutely everything in his desire to address every genuine human need.
+++++
References:
Homily - Fr Paul W. Kelly
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B -(Sunday, 1 September 2024) (EPISODE: 494 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
+++++++++++++
welcome everyone, we gather - Listen to God's Word and contemplate the sacraments. On this Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
As we begin the Holy Eucharist, let us acknowledge our sinfulness, so as to worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God's kingdom: Lord, have mercy You come in word and in sacrament to strengthen us and make us holy: Christ, have mercy You will come again in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have mercy .
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ps 15:2-3a, 3b-4a, 4b-5. "The just will live in the presence of the Lord."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (James 1:18). Alleluia, alleluia! The Father gave us birth by his message of truth. That we might be as the first fruits of his creation.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PREFACE: Ordinary 2
Eucharistic Prayer 1
(theme variation: theme 4 )
(post version: v2-short)
++++
{10. thanks everyone. And may God sustain you with his grace and love.}
4. Go in peace.
++++++++
Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by visting here:
Details relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass in Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
"Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - In memory of William John Kelly (1942-2017) - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
"Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser. And (2024+) Rode Nt-1 + AI-1 Sound Mixer.
Editing equipment: -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)
[Production - KER - 2024]
May God bless and keep you.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No comments:
Post a Comment