Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, October 5, 2025 (EPISODE-550)
Readings for Sunday, October 5, 2025 - Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
FIRST READING: Hab 1:2-3, 2:2-4
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7ab, 7c-9. "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."
SECOND READING: 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 17:5-10). Alleluia, alleluia! The word of the Lord stands forever. It is the word given to you - the good news.
GOSPEL: Luke 17:5-10
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, October 5, 2025, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-550/s-d0BwW6lkUwp (EPISODE- 550)
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GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
PROLOGUE:
God always answers our prayers. However, sometimes the answer is a loving but firm no. Amazingly, in the Gospel this weekend, the Apostles asked the Lord what seems a fairly sensible thing.
They asked the Lord to increase their faith. Our Lord basically says to them, no, it's not the amount of faith you have, it's your application of whatever faith you have. Faith is about action and living consistently in the values of the faith.
Our Lord says even a small seed of faith can produce astounding results. If we put ourselves in God's hands and set about the wonderful work of service we've been called to, God's grace is more than sufficient. Let us humbly set to work in this excellent task.
[FHL]
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HOMILY:
In this weekend's Gospel, our Lord teaches us that in the life of a community, all people must deny their own self-focused designs and develop a healthy detachment from self.
We are indeed heirs to God's kingdom and sons and daughters of God. But our Lord warns us that pride is the beginning of many sins, and presumption is just as bad. If we develop a sense of entitlement or presumption, it can be highly corrosive.
Everything we do must be for the building up of God's kingdom alone, or else it will unwittingly contribute to the building up of the kingdom of me at the expense of the kingdom of God. It becomes a form of idolatry. Our Lord uses the example of the servant.
In those days, the servant could not merit anything of their own. The master, often hard and demanding, but hopefully fair, was entitled to the servant's efficient service. This was expected as the norm.
It was not normal to thank the servant for doing what was merely their job. The servant could often be the hardest-working, most dedicated labourer in his master's house and unquestionably fully committed to everything that was for the good of that family that they worked for. But should this person demand gratitude and extra reward for this? Isn't the servant only being diligent in performing what is expected of them? Looking at things from a self-serving mindset is the opposite of what our Lord is teaching His disciples, and it taints and lessens all the good work that a Christian disciple can do.
If they turn around and expect something other than merely the sense that they have helped build up God's values, then things have gone wrong. I think we can benefit from the Gospel teaching very much. Just think of all the good work done by so many, and then imagine later on down the track a person who has done so much for the community, metaphorically calls in the debt, by demanding something to be done for them and citing as the reason for their demand all the work they have done in the past, suggesting that all that work they have done out of generosity is now the reason they can be entitled to demand a benefit.
In doing so, they have absolutely, according to this parable and others like it, cancelled out all the credit of the kingdom of God and foregone the reward of the kingdom. And also, it undermines the original good motive of doing what was needed simply for the sake of doing good itself, helping to build God's kingdom and for no other reason. We need to be on our guard for this always, in ourselves and in others, as it derails the real direction of the community's efforts towards God's priorities.
I must admit, as jarring as this image is, I really like it. I like this concept. It's a refreshing antidote and corrective to a world where what's in it for me and a sense of entitlement can pervade every corner of society.
Pride and an inflated sense of one's own importance is often at the centre of a lot of conflict, misunderstanding, disunity, frustration and resentment. In the Gospel this weekend, our Lord reminds us that we are servants and disciples of God's Word. Our duty is to teach, to witness and to live the values of the Gospel, no matter how challenging these values are, and irrespective of the opposition or ridicule that we receive from other sections of secular society, and certainly despite any criticisms or praise, cost or reward that comes from doing our job.
I think of our own communities. With the increase of the legal requirements for safeguarding, all workers and volunteers have to undertake even more compliance courses and fill out and provide more information for ministries they conduct. This has been very demanding and difficult for many people, and we are so grateful for the patience and generosity of so many.
But there has been some outrage too, because it has been a very trying and demanding process. But this Gospel today made me stop and think.
Are we to be too outraged? Yes, there are many volunteers.
Yes, it is out of the goodness of one's time and energy. But as Christians, is anyone really just a volunteer? Or are we really doing what is needed as a disciple to ensure the work of the Gospel is fulfilled in this place at any cost? Living the Gospel is difficult and challenging, and it will often meet with opposition and challenges. The apostles realised the seemingly impossible demand of discipleship, so in today's Gospel they say to the Lord, increase our faith.
Our Lord's reply to his disciples is a stinging rebuke. In effect, he says, more faith? If you had any faith at all, faith as puny as a tiny mustard seed, you could do great things. But doing great things is not the point, as the parable goes on to explain.
What is required is merely doing what is expected. A servant's job is not in itself extraordinary, nor is it a dramatic or histrionic work. The work of a servant does not draw attention to itself.
A faithful worker does what the Master commands, namely both the field work as well as table service. Similarly, disciples who are servants of the Lord must do what is needed, even forgiving others seven times a day if necessary. Though this may seem extraordinary, it's in fact merely part of our daily job as followers of Christ.
Our Lord uses a striking, dramatic and rather outlandish example of a mulberry tree, when commanded to be uprooted and transplanted into the sea. Naturally, there's nothing to be gained by putting a mulberry tree in the sea. It would die.
But it's an ancient version of our modern military saying, if your senior officer commands you to jump, don't ask why, just ask, how high? Or even better, ask no questions and just do it. The Lord calls his disciples to listen to his gospel and do what's asked of them, even if it seems difficult or confusing, or even if it seems mundane. So, surprisingly, our Lord says no to the disciples when they ask for more faith.
Instead, he reminds them, and us, that abundant faith is not required for discipleship. Even a little bit of faith is sufficient to do great things. It's not quantity of faith, it's how we put our faith into action.
If we put even the smallest amount of faith into action and place all our efforts in the hands of God's grace, astounding and good things will be produced. People of faith are not only those who do great, dramatic and extraordinary feats of wonder and bravery for God and church. Actually, faith is readily expressed in ordinary everyday acts of service, love and kindness.
Our Lord instructs disciples that faith is expressed in action and, even more precisely, in obedience to him. This image of the servant-disciple is put forward by our Lord as the ideal image of how we should see our calling as disciples, to be servants with tasks in relation to God and God's kingdom. Rather than any sense of entitlement, reward, or even the idea that we can somehow earn or merit God's love, or that God should thank us for doing what's merely necessary in our wonderful task of building up God's kingdom and for giving unceasing thanks to God for what is rightfully God's.
And what is rightfully God's is everything.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.
Living Liturgy – Homily reflection notes.
Prepare the Word, reflections 2013.
Image licensed by Shutterstock: By Lazarenka Sviatlana. stock photo ID: 1354734821, Doorman at the door on the background of blurred people.
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C (Sunday, October 5, 2025) (EPISODE- 550)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{Good day everyone}}
Our God's love and mercy knows no bounds, and so let us recall our sins so as to worthily celebrate this Holy Sacrifice.
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Ps 95:1-2, 6-7ab, 7c-9. "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 17:5-10). Alleluia, alleluia! The word of the Lord stands forever. It is the word given to you - the good news.
Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary I
Eucharistic Prayer I
Communion side:
(theme variation: v4)
(pre+post variation: v1-long)
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{thanks everyone. And may God sustain you with his grace and love.}
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Further information 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 - 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 MV5 Digital Condenser (USB)
Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor
[Production - KER - 2025]
May God bless and keep you.
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